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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


W.B- CLARKE  Co  • 


THE   BUTTERFLY   HUNTERS 
IN    THE   CARIBBEES 


THE    DOCTOR    WAS    ALREADY    ABOUT    TWENTY    FEET    IN    THE    AIR 

ON    A    STOUT    LADDER. 

[Page  186.] 


THE 


BUTTERFLY    HUNTERS 


IN  THE  CARIBBEES 


BY 

DR.  EUGENE  MURRAY-AARON,  F.E.S.,  F.Z.S.E. 

Formerly  Secretary  and  Curator  of  the  American  Entomological 

Society;   Curator  of  Entomology,  Academy  of  Natural 

Sciences  of  Philadelphia;  Editor  of  "Papilio" 

and  "The  Geographical  Magazine" 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1894 


COPYRIGHT,  1894,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


56 


TO 

fHg  WiiU 

MY   COMPANION   IN   EXPLORATION  AND 
MY   COLABORER   IN   STUDY 

&nna  Statrticr  £Hurrag*&anm 

THIS   BOOK   IS   DEDICATED 
WITH     LOVE     AND     GRATITUDE 


M364S- 


PREFACE 

The  author  deems  it  well  to  state  that  in  the  following 
account  of  the  adventures  of  two  young  naturalists  in  the 
West  Indies  he  has  simply  taken  his  heroes  over  ground 
with  which  he  is  thoroughly  familiar,  and  has  reproduced 
in  their  experience  scenes  and  incidents  that  have  been  a 
part  of  his  life  as  an  exploring  naturalist.    He  has  required 
nothing  of  the  credulity  of  his  readers  ;  no  fruit  has  been 
gathered  out  of  season,  nor  flower  picked  at  an  unnatural 
time  of  year ;  no  animal  or  plant  has  been  collected  out  of 
its  regular  geographical  range,  nor  any  fact   of   nature 
been  recorded  that  is  not  known  to  belong  to  the  regions 
traversed.      In  a  word,  scientific  accuracy  has  been  the 
main  guiding  principle  in  the  production  of  this  work,  and 
if  it  has  thereby  lost  something  of  the  startling  nature 
usually  imparted  to  such  books,  the  author  feels  that  his 
readers,  the  older  young  people  and  the  younger  old  peo- 
ple, will  not  regard  this  as  a  real  loss,  but  rather  a  gain  in 
the'  interest  of  truth.     If  the  dormant  naturalist's  impulse, 


Vll 


viii  Preface 

common  to  many,  shall  be  awakened  in  some  by  these 
pages,  they  will  have  been  worth  the  labor  expended  upon 
them.  Should  their  perusal  cause  the  "exploring  fever" 
to  break  forth  in  some,  the  author  holds  himself  prepared 
to  answer  any  queries  or  give  any  advice  incident 
thereto. 

New  York,  June,  1894. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   I 

THE    START 

PAGE 

The  Dawson  Boys  —  An  Unexpected  Vacation  —  A  Roving  Naturalist  — 
Plans  for  the  Expedition  —  Down  the  Bay  —  Anticipations  of  Dan- 
ger —  Tales  of  Hardship  —  Climbing  the  Andes  —  In  Daily  Peril  of 
Death — Alone  on  the  Rio  Negro i 

CHAPTER   II 

THE    BAHAMAS 

Sea  Serpents  —  Inhabitants  of  the  Deep  Sea  —  "  Hard  aport !  Danger 
ahead  !  "  —  Derelicts  —  The  Bahamas  —  Nassau  —  First  Tastes  of 
Tropical  Life  —  Mighty  Trees  —  The  First  Butterfly  Hunt  —  A  But- 
terfly's Bath — Butterfly  Athletes  —  The  Marvels  of  the  Microscopic 
World 14 

CHAPTER    III 
DOWN    IN    A    DIVING-BELL 

Wondering  Darkies  —  Who  are  Americans?  —  The  Name  of  our  Conti- 
nent —  The  English  Army  —  Professor  Watson's  Offer  —  A  Philosoph- 
ical Skipper — Native  Incredulity — The  Diving-Bell  —  The  Diver's 
Sensations  —  On  the  Bottom  of  the  Sea  —  Plant-like  Animals  — 
Sponge  Fishers  —  Phosphorescence  of  the  Sea  —  The  Immensity  of 
Animal  Life         ...........     27 


Contents 

CHAPTER   IV 
THE    FIRST    CAMP 


PAGE 


To  Sea  in  an  Open  Craft  —  Nature  of  the  Bahama  Isles  —  Columbus's 
Inaccuracy — The  Camper's  Life  —  Putting  up  the  Tent  —  An  Ideal 
Cooking  Outfit  —  A  Lucky  Find  —  Senses  without  a  Head  —  An 
Evening  with  the  Moths  —  A  Strange  Bait  —  Four-winged  Topers  — 
A  Lurking  Snake 45 


CHAPTER   V 
COLUMBUS    AND    HIS    LANDFALL 

Foraging  for  Breakfast  —  Picking  Oysters  from  Bushes  —  Wholesale 
Fishing  —  An  Abandoned  Garden  —  The  Danger  of  Poisonous  Pests 
—  A  Sumptuous  Lunch  —  The  Preservation  of  Insects  —  Flamin- 
goes —  Imaginative  Historians  —  Columbus's  Character  —  Which  is 
the  "  Landfall "  ?  —  Indian  Slavery  —  Columbus's  Untruthfulness         .     62 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE    DEVIL-FISH 

In  Camp  again  —  Negro  Honesty — The  Geographical  Sense  —  Mar- 
vellous Memories  —  Training  the  Memory  —  The  Collector's  Outfit  — 
Comparative  Abundance  of  Butterflies  —  Spanish  Cedar  —  A  Devil- 
fish at  Home  —  A  Three-hearted  Monster — The  Dreaded  "  Kraken  " 


CHAPTER   VII 

DOWN    THE    ISLANDS 

Migrating  Butterflies  —  Samana  or  Guanahani  —  A  Tropical  Downpour  — 
Meeting  Old  Friends  —  An  Island  "  Pooh-Bah  "  —  Camping  on  Great 
Inagua  —  Pugnacious  Ants  —  Insect  Pests  —  Their  Sense  of  Smell  — 
The  Use  of  the  Antennae 99 


Contents  xi 

CHAPTER   VIII 
THE   EARLY    HOME    OF   THE    FREEBOOTERS 

PAGE 

A  Mulatto  Landlady  —  The  Multitudes  of  Blacks  — The  Early  Natives  — 
The  Buccaneers  —  National  Hypocrisy  —  The  True  Discoverer  — 
Late  Views  of  Columbus  —  Ant  Cows  —  Herders  and  Protectors  of 
Caterpillars  —  Ants  versus  Wasps  —  An  Alligator's  Nest  —  Luring  an 
Alligator  —  Full  of  Fight  —  Ho  !  for  Haiti  —  Flying  Machines  and 
their  Future 113 

CHAPTER    IX 
THE   BLACK   REPUBLIC 

A  Glimpse  at  Haitian  History  —  The  Most  Degraded  Land  in  Christen- 
dom—  A  Study  in  Human  Government  —  An  Old  Friend  —  Elisha  — 
A  Dark  View  of  Haiti  —  Vaudoux  Witchcraft  —  "  Haiti,"  its  Deriva- 
tion and  Spelling  —  A  Creole  Dinner  —  An  Array  of  Fruit  —  "  Matri- 
mony"—  A  Pet  Lizard 129 

CHAPTER   X 

AN    EARTHQUAKE 

Gabe —  Early  Morning  in  the  Tropics  —  Orchids  and  Air-plants  —  Water- 
cocoanuts  —  High  Prices  —  The  Ceaseless  Tom-tom  —  A  Native 
Dance — The  "  Sablier  "  or  Sand-box  Tree  —  Strange  Noises  —  Zom- 
bies, Jumbies,  and  Duppies  — The  Need  of  Missionaries  —  A  Terrible 
Moment  —  Earthquakes  —  Cap  Haitien  —  "  The  Ill-fated  City  "  — 
Toussaint  l'Ouverture 145 

CHAPTER  XI 

INTO    THE    WILDERNESS 

The  Palace  of  Sans  Souci  —  The  Citadel  of  La  Terriere  —  Productiveness 
of  the  Land  —  Along  the  Coast  —  A  Squalid  Land  —  Port  au  Prince  — 
A   Paris   of  Mud  —  A  Useful    Lesson  —  The  American   Minister  — 


xii  Contents 


President  Hippolyte  —  A  Strong  Contrast  —  Start  of  the  Cavalcade 

—  A  Funeral  Procession  — Vaudoux  Orgies —  Snake  Worship    .         .163 


CHAPTER    XII 
CAMP    CONTENTMENT 

Luxuriant  Vegetation  —  The  Cocoanut-palm  —  The  Useful  Bamboo  — 
Gorgeous  Butterflies  —  The  Butterfly  Gun  —  A  Coveted  Rarity  — 
Ladder  Building  —  The  Moth  Beacon  —  A  Weird  Sight  —  Giant 
Bats  —  Loupgaroos  or  Vampires  —  A  Midnight  Experience  —  A  Rich 
Harvest  —  Humming-birds  —  A  Tiny  Songster  —  Scientific  Names     .  1 80 


CHAPTER  XIII 
ABOVE   THE    CLOUDS 

Anticipations  —  Mountain  Heights  —  An  Unattempted  Feat  —  Difficult 
Moutaineering  —  An  Ideal  Camp  —  Harry's  Description  of  a  Moun- 
tain View  —  Planting  the  Flag  —  Frost  in  the  Tropics  —  A  Mountain 
Sunrise  —  The  Inscription  above  the  Clouds  —  Attacked  by  a  Wild 
Boar  —  Excellent  Marksmen — A  Still  More  Luxuriant  Wilderness  — 
Cannibalism  —  American  versus  French  Republicanism  —  Haitian 
Dignitaries 197 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE   NEGRO'S    PARADISE 

Jamaica  the  Blest  —  Port  Royal  —  A  History  of  Guilt  —  The  Earth- 
quake's Vengeance  —  A  Miraculous  Escape  —  A  Famous  Hurri- 
cane —  Pelicans  —  Quashie  Lingo  —  Street  Sights  —  The  Jamaica 
Museum  —  Modified  Negro  Rule  —  Thoughts  of  Home  —  King's 
House  —  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Blake  —  Luxuriance  of  Life  in  the 
Tropics  —  An  Ideal  Winter  Resort  —  Troops  in  Cloudland  —  Chased 
by  a  Storm 215 


Contents  xiii 


CHAPTER    XV 
IN   THE    HOME    OF    HOMERUS 

PAGE 

Richard,  the  Driver  —  The  Convicts  —  Rock  Fort  —  Cane  River  Falls  — 
The  Scarcity  of  Whites — The  Negro  Races — The  "  Gordon  Riots  "  — 
George  William  Gordon  —  The  Carnage  at  Morant  Bay  —  Terrible 
Retribution  —  Bath  and  its  Attractions  —  Cacao,  Coca,  Coco,  and 
Cocoa  —  "A  Homerus  !  A  Homerus  !  "  —  The  Baths  of  Saint  Thomas 
—  A  Romantic  Legend 230 

CHAPTER   XVI 
A    MIDNIGHT    HORROR 

Hunting  Homerus  —  Loathsome  Bait  —  A  Profitable  Day  —  Cuna  Cuna 
Pass  —  Ideal  Roads  —  The  Maroons  —  A  Barbarous  Execution  —  A 
Deserting  Guide  —  Blood-curdling  Sounds  —  A  Lost  Burro  —  The 
Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  —  Wholesale  Fruit  Culture  .         .         .  247 

CHAPTER   XVII 

BACK   TO    THE   FROZEN    NORTH 

Deceptive  Clouds  —  A  Comprehensive  View  —  From  Straw  Hats  to 
Ulsters  —  A  Glad  Home-coming  —  Mr.  Dawson's  Plans  —  The  Doc- 
tor's Words  of  Praise  —  The  Work  at  the  Academy  —  A  Proud 
Moment  —  A  Well-earned  Honor  —  A  Handsome  Balance  —  "  Ho  ! 
for  the  Spanish  Main !  " 259 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Doctor  was  already  about  twenty  feet  in  the  air, 

on  A  stout  ladder Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"  Hard  aport  !     Hard  aport  !     A  derelict  on  the  port 

bow  !"    .        .        . 18 

Jumping  into  the  small-boat,  they  were  soon  under  the 

BELL 38 

They  turned  the  box  over,  and  a  good-sized   snapping- 

turtle  fell  out 54 

The  Doctor's  gun  rang  out,  followed  quickly  by  those 

of  the  boys 72 

as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  there  extended  a  scat- 
tered column  of  butterflies ioo 

The  crowd  continued  to  grow  even  more  frantic  .   .178 

Instantly  their  guns  rang  out  sharp  and  in  unison   .  208 

XV 


MAP 

Showing  the  Route  of 

THE  BUTTERFLY  HUNTERS 

IN   THE   CARIBBEES. 


ISLAND 

GUANAHANI  OR 
v^SAMANA  ISLAND 

I     ^ '  (.Landfall  of  Columbus) 

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\  ^ISLAND  !Q35>JSLAND 

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\  \  r^^J)  GREAT 

„    \  \r  /INAGUA  ISLAND 

Mathe  wtown  ^.^J 


ape  Maisi        \TORTUGA  ISLAND 

Port  a  Piment         *"*  i  O  & 

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St.Marc'V  j  J?  P 


GONAIVESV.    XJ1, 

ISLANdS"**^^. 


Tiburoif 


Spamshtown*  ^rajS^SigL 


E.  M.A. 


Portau   W^ 


THE  BUTTERFLY  HUNTERS 
IN  THE  CARIBBEES 


CHAPTER   I 

THE    START 

The  Dawson  Boys  — An  Unexpected  Vacation  — A  Roving  Naturalist  —  Plans 
for  the  Expedition — Down  the  Bay  —  Anticipations  of  Danger  —  Tales 
of  Hardship  —  Climbing  the  Andes  — In  Daily  Peril  of  Death— Alone 
on  the  Rio  Negro 

AS  the  steamship  "Orizaba"  of  the  Ward  Line  swung 
out  of  its  dock  at  the  foot  of  Wall  Street,  New 
York,  there  were  no  more  interested  and  excited  spec- 
tators, either  on  shore  or  on  deck,  than  two  boys  who 
eagerly  hung  over  the  rail  of  the  departing  vessel  and 
watched  everything  with  that  sort  of  attention  which 
showed  plainly  that  it  was  all  new  to  them.  That  these 
boys  were  brothers  was  easily  told  by  their  close  resem- 
blance;  the  older  of  the  two  was  sixteen,  the  younger 
would  be  fourteen  in  a  few  weeks,  yet  so  closely  were 
they  alike  in  appearance  and  in  size  that  it  would  have 
been  quite  natural  to  take  them  for  twins.  Their  eager- 
ness in  watching  all  that  was  going  on  about  them  — 
sailors  running  hurriedly  here  and  there  on  the  vessel 
with  great  ropes,  while  other  ropes  were  being  released 
on  the  wharf  by  the  men  stationed  there,  with  over  all 


The  Butterfly  Hunters 


the  din  and  bustle  the  voice  of  the  officer  in  charge 
shouting  his  orders,  —  was  due  to  the  fact  that  never 
before  had  they  been  on  the  deck  of  an  ocean  liner,  nor 
even  watched  the  departure  of  one  of  those  monarchs  of 
the  sea. 

Coming  from  an  inland  Pennsylvania  town,  Edward  and 
Harry  Dawson  had  had  but  little  chance  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  ways  of  old  ocean.  Once  their  father 
had  brought  them  with  him  on  one  of  his  business  trips, 
and  had  taken  them  for  a  few  days  to  one  of  the  seaside 
resorts ;  but  beyond  a  short  sail  in  the  inlet,  where  some 
diminutive  waves  made  them  feel  rather  curious  in  the 
region  of  the  stomach,  they  had  had  no  experience  with 
the  heaving,  uncertain  sea.  Now  they  were  actually 
bound  on  a  voyage  that  would  take  them  far  from  land, 
and  to  that  most  romantic  of  all  regions,  the  West  Indies, 
to  be  gone  as  many  weeks  as  it  would  take  them  to  get 
a  good  idea  of  the  peculiar  life  and  wonderful  natural  con- 
ditions of  that  chain  of  islands. 

When,  soon  after  they  had  returned  to  their  boarding- 
school  for  the  fall  term,  they  had  been  sent  back  by  the 
principal  with  a  letter  to  their  father,  stating  that  as  scar- 
let fever  had  broken  out  in  the  school,  it  was  thought 
best  to  close  it  until  all  danger  had  passed,  and  that  it 
would  probably  be  well  on  towards  the  new  year  before 
the  school  would  open  again,  Mr.  Dawson  was  at  a  loss  to 
know  just  what  to  do  with  the  boys.  To  such  a  practical, 
hard-working  man  of  business  it  seemed  a  pity  to  have  the 
boys  idle  for  so  long  a  time,  just  after  they  had  had  the 
benefits  of  the  summer  vacation.     Mr.  Dawson  was  a  man- 


The  Start  3 

ufacturer  of  iron  who  by  watchfulness  of  details  had  made 
himself  a  successful  man,  and  who  was  now  considered  one 
of  the  wealthiest  men  in  his  part  of  the  State.  His  own 
education  had  been  derived  from  hard  experience  in  earn- 
ing his  living  from  early  boyhood,  much  more  than  from 
books  or  teachers  ;  and  this  had  made  him  firm  in  the 
intention  to  give  his  sons  the  best  education  which  his 
very  ample  wealth  made  possible. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  return  of  the  boys  from  school, 
Mr.  Dawson  received  from  a  friend  of  his  earlier  years  a 
letter  asking  him  whether  he  could  not  find  the  writer  a 
position  in  his  large  mills  as  an  accountant  or  in  some 
other  way  help  him  to  get  a  position.     Dr.   Richard  Bart- 
lett  had  had  everything  in  the  way  of  a  finished  education 
that   his  older  friend,    Albert    Dawson,   had  wanted,  but 
could   not   afford    to  take.     In  addition   to    an  excellent 
college  training  his  father  had  been  able  to  give  him  the 
benefit  of  a  medical  education  in  Germany,  after  which  he 
had  been  allowed  to  spend  two  or  three  years  in  travel  in 
Europe  and   parts   of     Asia.     But    complete  as   was  his 
knowledge  of  his  profession,  he  was  utterly  unfit  to  follow 
it,  because  the  idea  of  tying  himself  down  to  one  locality 
had  grown  distasteful  to  him  after  so  much  travel,  and  he 
had  not  been  back  in  his  home  very  long  before  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  to  go  to  South  America  for  the  museum 
of  the  university  in  Germany  where  he  had  been  graduated. 
From    that  time   until    the   receipt   of   this    letter    Mr. 
Dawson  had  heard  nothing  of  his  friend.     From  the  letter 
he  learned  that  the  Doctor  had  spent  the  last  ten  years  in 
travelling  in  all  sorts  of  out-of-the-way  places,  collecting 


The  Butterfly  Hunters 


museum  material  and  writing  books  of  travel.  Now  he 
hardly  knew  where  to  turn  for  a  new  country  to  visit  and 
had  about  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  settle  down  for 
awhile  in  his  own  land,  if  he  could  get  anything  to  do  but 
"  saw  bones,"  as  he  called  the  practice  of  medicine.  Quick 
to  make  up  his  mind,  Mr.  Dawson  was  but  a  short  time  in 
deciding  that  such  a  rover  as  his  friend  had  been  would  be 
of  but  little  value  in  an  establishment  like  his ;  and  he  was 
equally  quick  to  see  that  here  was  the  very  chance  for  his 
boys  that  he  was  looking  for.  After  consulting  his  wife 
and  getting  her  consent  to  his  plans,  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
his  friend  that  quickly  brought  the  Doctor  to  the  Daw- 
sons'  home  and  which  resulted,  much  to  the  delight  of  the 
boys,  in  the  following  plan. 

As  Ned  and  Harry  were  likely  to  have  at  least  ten  weeks 
that  ought  to  be  given  to  their  education,  but  which  must 
be  spent  away  from  school,  it  was  decided  that  nothing 
could  be  better  for  them  than  a  tour  in  the  charge  of  Dr. 
Bartlett.  Both  of  the  boys  had  already  shown  marked 
fondness  for  the  study  of  Natural  History ;  together  they 
had  already  made  a  very  fair  collection  of  the  butterflies 
of  their  region,  and  had  added  to  it  some  that  they  had 
got  by  exchanging  with  collectors  in  other  parts  of  the 
country.  Mr.  Dawson  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  wisdom 
of  boys  having  a  hobby  of  some  kind,  to  fill  up  their  idle 
moments,  and  to  give  them  an  object  to  strive  after ;  and 
he  had  often  had  cause  to  notice  what  a  benefit  travel  was 
to  any  one  who  went  through  the  world  with  his  eyes  open. 
Therefore  he  was  quick  to  avail  himself  of  this  chance  for 
his  boys,  for  he  was  anxious  that  they  should  have  a  taste 


The  Start  5 

of  the  delights  of  travel  ;  and  he  was  delighted  to  find  that 
this  would  be  possible  under  the  charge  of  so  thorough  a 
student  of  Nature,  and  such  an  experienced  traveller. 

The  Doctor  knew  so  well  just  what  would  be  wanted 
on  such  a  journey,  and  he  was  so  thoroughly  conversant 
with  all  the  countries  which  it  was  proposed  they  should 
visit,  that  Mr.  Dawson  was  quite  willing  to  leave  all  the 
details  to  him,  with  such  advice  as  the  boys'  mother  had  to 
offer.  It  took  but  a  little  time  to  get  together  all  that  was 
needed  for  the  trip,  and  their  start  was  delayed  but  a  few 
days  ;  almost  before  they  had  been  able  to  realize  that 
they  were  really  to  visit  a  region,  the  wonders  of  which 
they  had  read  of  with  the  utmost  interest,  they  were  afloat. 

Now  they  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  "  Orizaba,"  waving 
good-bye  to  their  father,  mother,  and  little  sister,  until  the 
steamer,  having  reached  the  mid-stream,  wheeled  around  and 
started  down  the  river  on  her  majestic  way.  As  the  faces 
of  the  dear  ones  faded  away,  the  boys  were  joined  at  the 
rail  by  the  Doctor,  who  understood  the  importance  of  tak- 
ing their  attention  with  other  things  so  that  the  realization 
of  the  fact  that  they  were  going  so  far  from  home  might 
not  cause  home-sickness,  which  he  knew  would  come  soon 
enough.  Beginning  with  the  mighty  Brooklyn  Bridge,  on 
down  past  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  and  so  out  into  the 
broader  Bay,  there  was  plenty  to  see  and  to  talk  about 
to  chain  their  attention,  and  the  boys  had  already  learned 
that  their  companion  of  the  voyage  was  a  prince  among 
entertainers.  The  great  fund  of  knowledge  that  he  had 
brought  back  from  his  many  tours  over  the  world  and  the 
easy  way  in  which  he  told  anything  made  an  impression  on 


The  Butterfly  Hunters 


the  boys  from  the  first,  and  they  naturally  turned  to  him 
for  any  desired  information. 

Neither  Ned  nor  Harry  was  a  boy  that  was  likely  to 
stand  at  the  head  of  his  classes  either  in  recitations  or  in 
conduct ;  yet  both  were  likely  to  make  as  much  out  of  the 
information  that  they  brought  from  school  as  any  of  their 
companions.  There  are  many  boys  like  them  who  have 
excellent  memories  and  good  eyes  that  are  always  open  to 
observe  anything  that  is  worth  knowing,  who  are  not  quick 
to  tell  what  they  know  to  their  teachers  or  their  fellows. 
The  Doctor  had  the  ability  to  an  unusual  degree  to  draw 
out  of  such  boys  the  information  that  they  had  on  any 
subject,  and  add  his  own  to  it  in  such  a  way  that  the  boys 
hardly  realized  that  they  were  undergoing  an  examination 
and  at  the  same  time  receiving  instruction.  This  it  was 
that  Mr.  Dawson  believed  would  make  the  Doctor  an 
excellent  guide  for  the  boys,  for  he  foresaw  that  they 
would  come  home  laden  with  a  wealth  of  valuable  and 
entertaining  information  which  they  would  have  gained 
without  having  the  feeling  that  it  was  being  pumped  into 
them. 

"  Doctor,"  said  Ned,  as  they  still  stood  looking  towards 
the  fast  disappearing  New  Jersey  shore,  "  why  couldn't 
we  just  as  well  have  gone  to  Florida  by  train  and  then 
across  to  the  Bahama  Islands  by  steamer  ?  Wouldn't  that 
way  have  been  quicker,  and  wouldn't  we  have  escaped 
going  around  Cape  Hatteras,  where  you  told  us  the  other 
day  it  was  sometimes  so  dangerous  ?  " 

"  As  Florida  and  the  Bahamas  produce  much  the  same 
sort  of  things  for  exporting  to  other  countries,  neither  of 


The  Start  7 

them  has  much  that  the  other  needs,  and,  therefore,  there 
is  no  call  for  a  steam  line  between  them.  There  are  sailing- 
vessels  that  go  between  the  two  at  irregular  times  and 
make  such  ports  as  are  most  convenient,  but  the  only  way 
to  go  from  one  to  the  other  by  steam  is  by  New  York  as 
we  are  doing.  Hatteras  has  an  ugly  way  of  tossing  vessels 
around,  but  just  at  this  season  of  the  year  we  are  not 
likely  to  have  any  trouble  with  it.  We  are  rather  late  to 
catch  the  tail-end  of  any  West  Indian  hurricanes  or  the 
equinoctial  storm  of  the  third  week  in  September,  and 
we  shall  probably  get  back  in  time  to  escape  the  severe 
storms  of  the  early  winter." 

"  Well,  even  if  we  don't  get  caught  in  any  bad  storms 
at  sea,"  broke  in  Harry,  "we  are  likely  to  have  some 
pretty  tough  times  on  land  before  we  get  back,  aren't 
we  ? " 

"  If  by  tough  times  you  mean  such  experiences  as 
Stanley  tells  us  of  in  his  accounts  of  African  explorations, 
Harry,  you  are  very  likely  to  be  disappointed.  All  the 
countries  that  we  are  going  to  are  fairly  well  civilized  so 
far  as  dangers  from  wild  beasts  or  wild  men  are  con- 
cerned. We  may  have  some  strange  and  rather  uncom- 
fortable experiences  if  we  camp  out  in  Haiti,  as  I  expect 
we  shall,  but  that  we  shall  meet  any  real  dangers,  where 
lives  are  at  risk,  is  most  unlikely,  simply  because  I  have 
brought  you  young  men  out  to  see  the  world  and  go  home 
to  use  the  information  that  you  have  got,  and  not  to  run 
the  risk  of  having  you  killed." 

"  But,  Doctor,"  said  Harry,  whose  ideas  of  adventure 
were  not  at  all  satisfied  by  such  a  tame  outlook  as  this, 


8  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

"  can't  we  cut  short  some  part  of  the  trip  so  as  to  have 
a  little  time  for  visiting  wilder  regions  ? " 

"  I  hardly  think  that  will  be  necessary  ;  there  are  a  good 
many  little  hardships  to  contend  with  of  which  you  yet 
have  no  idea.  It  is  the  little  worries  that  often  are  the 
most  difficult  to  stand,  and  it  may  be  that  an  accumu- 
lation of  these  may  be  too  much  for  both  of  you,  and  you 
may  be  glad  to  turn  your  faces  homeward  before  you  have 
finished  the  trip." 

" Doctor,"  said  Ned,  "you  must  have  had  a  lot  of 
dangerous  adventures.     Tell  us  some  of  them." 

"  Perhaps  I  have  not  had  such  thrilling  experiences  as 
you  want  to  hear  about,"  the  Doctor  replied,  looking  at 
his  watch  ;  "  but  as  it  is  more  than  an  hour  before  supper 
time  we  can  sit  down  over  there  on  the  port  side,  and  I 
will  tell  you  some  of  the  things  that  have  happened  to 
others,  and  perhaps  some  of  my  own  experiences. 

"It  is  a  mistake  commonly  made  to  think  that  the 
hardships  encountered  by  explorers  in  the  far  north  are 
greater  than  those  that  they  are  likely  to  have  to  endure 
in  tropical  countries,"  began  the  Doctor,  when  they  were 
seated.  "  I  have  tried  the  upper  Yukon,  in  Alaska,  and 
the  far  north  of  Siberia,  and  it  has  always  been  my 
experience  that  it  was  much  easier  to  battle  against  the 
cold  and  the  effects  of  poor  food  —  the  two  principal  hard- 
ships in  Arctic  regions  —  than  to  put  up  with  the  many 
troubles  besetting  the  traveller  in  warm  countries.  Insect 
pests  alone  are  quite  equal  to  all  that  is  to  be  endured  in 
the  frozen  north.  And  when  it  comes  to  tropical  fevers, 
of  which  there  never  seems  any  end,  so  many  kinds  are 


The  Start  g 

there,  the  difficulties  of  life  in  some  parts  of  those  regions 
are  more  serious  than  can  be  put  into  words. 

"  But  you  boys  want  to  hear  about  other  sorts  of  hard- 
ships. Of  the  sort  that  you  are  interested  in  perhaps 
there  are  none  that  are  of  a  more  serious  nature  than 
those  incident  to  mountain-climbing,  where  great  heights 
are  to  be  overcome.  The  efforts  of  Edward  Whymper  in 
the  Andes  of  Ecuador  and  Peru  are  among  the  most 
remarkable  in  that  direction,  for  Mr.  Whymper  has  the 
ability  to  stand  such  exposures  to  a  great  degree,  and  he 
has  made  the  science  of  mountain-climbing  a  study  for 
many  years.  He  spent  212  days  in  the  upper  regions 
of  the  Andes,  and  of  that  time  204  nights  were  spent 
at  elevations  of  over  8000  feet,  or  over  one  mile 
higher  than  the  highest  mountain  in  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania. During  thirty-six  nights  he  slept  above  the 
14,000  feet  line ;  during  eighteen  he  was  from  about 
16,000  to  17,500;  and  on  one  night  he  camped  at  an 
elevation  of  19,500  feet.  At  this  height  he  was  above  the 
highest  land  in  North  America  and  was  for  many  hours 
at  a  point  where  most  men  would  find  it  difficult  to  live 
for  more  than  an  hour  or  two. 

"  These  extreme  heights  had  to  be  reached  on  foot,  for  no 
mule  or  horse  can  long  live  there,  and  many  of  their 
Indian  carriers  had  to  abandon  their  bundles  and  return  to 
lower  levels  because  of  the  '  mountain  sickness,'  that  made 
its  appearance  among  them.  Finally,  on  the  4th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1880,  he  and  several  of  his  party  reached  the  crown- 
ing peak  of  Chimborazo,  at  an  extreme  elevation  of  20,498 
feet,  thus  accomplishing  what  had  been  tried  by  many  ex- 


io  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

plorers,  among  them  the  great  Von  Humboldt,  but  which 
had  never  before  been  done.  At  such  heights  as  this, 
and  at  much  less  in  the  case  of  most  men,  breathing  be- 
comes very  difficult,  the  lungs  act  with  a  gasping  motion 
instead  of  with  their  regular  method  of  taking  in  the  air, 
almost  unbearable  headache  and  considerable  fever  are 
constant,  and  an  overpowering  feeling  that  one  is  incura- 
bly ill,  are  the  principal  symptoms. 

"  If  the  explorer  has  either  a  weak  heart  or  lungs,  he  is 
sure  to  discover  it  long  before  he  reaches  such  excessive 
heights,  by  bleeding  at  the  mouth  and  nose  and  in  ex- 
treme cases,  by  fainting  fits  that  are  Nature's  ways  of 
warning  him  that  unless  he  quickly  descends  to  lower 
levels,  he  has  not  long  to  stay  on  this  earth.  Greater 
heights  than  these  have  been  reached  in  the  Himalayas  of 
India  by  Messrs.  Graham  and  Boss,  who  ascended  Mt. 
Kaben  to  the  23,700  feet  line,  and  by  Mr.  Conway,  who 
recently  climbed  the  highest  peak  of  the  Mustagh  Range 
to  almost  as  great  an  elevation  ;  but  it  is  doubtful,  when 
the  rough  climate  of  the  upper  Andes  is  considered, 
whether  any  of  the  others  underwent  as  great  hardships 
as  did  Mr.  Whymper  and  his  party. 

"  There  is  another  form  of  hardship  that  is,  perhaps, 
even  more  trying  to  courage  and  endurance,  and  that  is 
the  life  among  hostile  natives,  where  their  hatred  for 
whites  makes  it  necessary  for  the  explorer  to  adopt  their 
dress  and  customs  and  in  every  way  hide  the  fact  that  he 
is  of  the  Caucasian  race.  One  explorer,  whom  I  met  in 
Tunis,  had  just  returned  from  an  exploration  of  the  in- 
terior of    Morocco,  where   the    Mohammedan    hatred   for 


The  Start  1 1 

those  from  Christian  lands  is  such  that  they  will  not  allow 
them  to  enter  their  territory.  At  the  hourly  risk  of  his 
life  this  daring  explorer  had  dyed  his  hair  and  skin  so  as 
exactly  to  represent  a  Turk,  and  then,  in  the  company  of  a 
half-grown  boy  whose  father's  life  he  had  saved,  and  whom 
he  knew  he  could  depend  upon  as  a  guide,  he  had  gone 
into  the  interior  as  a  wandering  beggar.  As  he  could  not 
hope  to  escape  detection  when  speaking  their  language, 
which  he  understood  imperfectly,  he  was  represented  by 
his  guide  as  both  deaf  and  dumb,  from  exposure  to  the 
desert's  heat  when  a  child. 

"Thus  these  two  journeyed  for  many  weeks,  both  run- 
ning constant  risk  of  suspicion,  discovery,  and  death  ;  the 
one  bravely  asking  the  way  and  begging  alms  from  settle- 
merit  to  settlement,  and  the  other  keeping  his  eyes  wide 
open  and  charging  his  memory  with  countless  facts  never 
before  observed  by  a  white  man.  Afterwards  he  told  me 
that  he  would  not  go  through  such  an  experience  again  for 
many  thousands  of  dollars  ;  but  when  I  asked  whether  he 
would  not  if  by  so  doing  he  could  add  as  much  to  scien- 
tific knowledge  as  he  had  by  the  trip  just  finished,  he 
promptly  answered  that  he  would  gladly  do  so.  It  is  that 
sort  of  stuff  that  the  true  explorer  is  made  of,  boys.  There 
is  a  wide  gap  between  the  unostentatious  and  painstaking 
explorer,  who  cares  everything  for  facts  that  will  be  of 
lasting  value  to  his  fellow-men,  —  such  men  as  were  Living- 
stone in  Africa,  and  Bates  on  the  Amazon,  — and  those  so- 
called  explorers  to  whom  the  good  of  their  fellows  is  not 
of  as  much  importance  as  the  money  that  comes  from 
lectures  and  books  about  their  paltry  work." 


12  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

"  What  was  the  worst  experience  you  ever  had,  Doctor  ?" 
Ned  asked. 

"  Oh,  I  have  usually  taken  too  good  care  of  my  skin  to 
get  into  any  scrape  that  would  compare  with  those  that 
have  fallen  to  the  lot  of  others.  So  far  as  I  now  recollect, 
the  most  disheartening  time  in  all  my  travels  was  when  I 
awoke  one  morning  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Rio  Negro 
in  Brazil,  to  find  that  my  Indian  carriers  had  disappeared, 
and  with  them  had  gone  all  of  my  belongings.  To  wake 
up  suddenly  to  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  I  was  en- 
tirely alone  in  an  unknown  wilderness,  with  every  scrap  of 
my  food  gone,  my  guns  and  ammunition  stolen,  even  such 
oilcloths  as  I  would  need  in  a  rain  missing,  was  for  a  while 
so  terrible  that  my  conviction  was  firm  that  nothing  but 
death  was  before  me.  It  is  one  thing  to  contemplate 
death,  but  quite  another  to  sit  calmly  down  to  wait  for  its 
coming,  and  I  soon  found  myself  planning  how  I  could  get 
out  of  the  wilderness  alive.  So  far  as  I  could  judge  it 
ought  to  be  about  eighty  to  one  hundred  miles  to  the 
nearest  settlement.  It  did  not  take  me  a  great  while  to 
find  some  drifted  logs  that  had  been  cast  up  by  the  last 
high  water,  and,  as  you  will  soon  find  out,  Nature  in  the 
Tropics  provides  all  the  rope-like  materials  that  are  needed 
in  the  shape  of  lianes  or  'vegetable  ropes,'  as  we  call 
them. 

"  I  spent  the  first  day  in  tying  together  a  raft,  only 
stopping  long  enough  to  find  some  wild  guavas  and  other 
small  fruits  to  keep  off  the  pangs  of  hunger.  On  this  sort 
of  a  rude  raft  I  managed  to  paddle  myself  down  stream  for 
six  days,  without  seeing  a  soul  and  with  only  wild  fruits  to 


The  Start  13 

keep  me  from  absolute  starvation,  although  I  felt  pretty 
near  that  when  at  last  I  did  sight  a  native  village.  There 
I  found  a  Mameluco  in  charge  of  the  town,  who  was  a  very 
intelligent  man.  The  runaways  who  had  treated  me  so 
badly  had  attempted  to  sell  my  outfit  in  this  village,  and 
he  had  at  once  seen  that  the  things  were  only  such  as  a 
white  was  likely  to  own,  and  that  they  must  have  been 
stolen.  Therefore,  he  detained  the  men  until  he  could 
find  out  how  they  had  come  by  such  valuable  belongings. 
Taking  fright  at  his  firmness  and  knowing  that  if  they 
were  found  out  they  would  be  severely  punished,  they 
managed  to  escape  in  the  night  and  take  with  them  some 
of  the  stolen  things,  but  were  obliged  to  leave  behind 
those  most  valuable  to  me.  Though  it  is  said  that  '  all's 
well  that  ends  well,'  I  shall  never  look  back  on  those  days, 
alone  in  that  mighty  wilderness,  without  a  shudder." 


CHAPTER   II 


THE    BAHAMAS 


Sea  Serpents  —  Inhabitants  of  the  Deep  Sea  —  "  Hard  aport !  Danger 
ahead!" — Derelicts  —  The  Bahamas  —  Nassau  —  First  Tastes  of  Tropi- 
cal Life  —  Mighty  Trees  —  The  First  Butterfly  Hunt  —  A  Butterfly's 
Bath  —  Butterfly  Athletes  —  The  Marvels  of  the  Microscopic  World 

AFTER  supper  the  boys  took  up  their  positions  on 
each  side  of  the  Doctor  and  clamored  for  more  sto- 
ries of  adventure ;  but  the  Doctor  was  not  inclined  to 
tell  any  more  stories  just  then,  preferring  to  learn  some- 
thing from  his  young  companions.  From  Harry  he  got 
the  information  that  they  were  then  passing  the  New 
Jersey  coast,  which  was  principally  noted  for  its  seashore 
resorts. 

"And  mosquitos  and  sea  serpents,"  broke  in  Ned. 

"  There  aren't  any  sea  serpents,  are  there,  Doctor  ? " 
asked  the  younger  boy. 

"  Nothing  concerning  the  animal  world  has  given  rise  to 
more  differences  of  opinion  among  those  who  ought  to 
know  than  this  question  that  you  have  asked  me,"  was  the 
reply.  "  In  my  opinion  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  sea  ser- 
pent, although  I  have  never  seen  one.  But  I  have  met  so 
many  truthful  men  who  assured  me  that  they  had  seen 
such  a  monster,  that  I  cannot  refuse  to  accept  their  com- 
bined testimony.  Now,  too,  since  the  naturalist  Gosse 
has  written  so  much  in  proof  of  the  existence  of  such  rep- 

14 


The  Bahamas  15 


tiles  in  the  deep  sea,  scientists  are  beginning  to  change 
their  views,  and  there  are  many  of  them  who  firmly  believe 
in  these  creatures.  That  they  are  true  serpents  may  be 
doubted,  but  that  some  descendants  of  strange  monsters 
of  an  earlier  age  are  yet  dwelling  in  the  least  travelled  por- 
tions of  the  southern  oceans  is  most  likely. 

"  No  doubt  the  stories  sometimes  told  of  great  serpents 
seen  along  the  South  American  and  African  coasts  are 
largely  based  on  the  fact  that  the  high  floods  of  the  rainy 
seasons  wash  the  large  land  serpents  out  to  sea.  As  some 
of  these  are  known  to  be  over  thirty-five  feet  long,  it  is 
not  strange  that  some  wonderful  lengths  are  reported, 
when  we  remember  that  they  are  usually  seen  but  for  a 
few  moments,  and  that  the  imagination  may  easily  lead 
the  unscientific  observer  into  mistakes.  However,  there 
have  been  accurate  reports  made  by  several  naturalists  in 
late  years  who  have  seen  and  sketched  these  creatures, 
and  there  seems  to  be  the  best  of  reason  for  believing  that 
there  are  some  very  strange  animal  forms  in  the  ocean  that 
have  not  yet  been  classified  by  naturalists." 

"  Can  either  of  you  tell  me  some  of  the  peculiarities  of 
the  animal  life  that  exists  under  us  in  the  depths  of  the 
sea?"  the  Doctor  suddenly  asked,  after  all  had  remained 
quiet  for  awhile. 

"  Most  that  are  brought  up  from  great  depths  are  with- 
out eyes,  I  have  read ;  and  many  are  of  the  most  beautiful 
colors,"  Ned  answered. 

"The  fish  near  the  top  of  the  ocean  never  go  very  deep, 
and  those  that  live  on  the  bottom  never  come  very  high 
up,  so  there  are  two  sorts  of  animals  in  the  sea;  and  where 


1 6  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

it  is  very  deep  there  is  a  space  in  which  there  is  hardly 
any  life,  if  any  at  all,"  added  Harry. 

"  All  that  is  quite  correct,"  commented  the  Doctor.  "  It 
is  based  on  many  facts  found  out  by  expeditions  sent  by 
this  country  and  England.  The  lack  of  eyes  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  light  cannot  penetrate  to  a  very  great  depth,  and 
they  do  not  need  eyes,  for  Nature  seldom  supplies  what 
there  is  no  need  for.  Another  strange  thing  about  the 
deepest  forms  is,  that  as  they  must  dwell  where  a  great 
weight  of  water,  due  to  its  depth,  is  constantly  pressing  on 
them  from  all  sides,  they  withstand  the  pressure  just  as 
we  do  that  of  the  air  in  which  we  live.  But  as  this  makes 
it  necessary  for  them  to  have  a  very  considerable  internal 
pressure  that  is  equal  to  that  which  they  have  to  with- 
stand, naturalists  on  bringing  them  to  the  surface  often 
witness  the  strange  sight  of  their  bursting  as  soon  as  they 
get  to  the  upper  air." 

"  Who  started  this  work  of  finding  what  was  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  ocean  ?"  asked  Harry. 

"  The  engineers  of  the  first  ocean  cable,  who  found  it 
necessary  to  get  a  better  idea  of  the  bottom  of  the  seas,  on 
which  those  long  iron  ropes  were  to  rest ;  and  in  that  way 
the  first  facts  regarding  the  wonderful  life  of  the  ocean 
bottoms  was  brought  to  light." 

The  principal  part  of  the  next  day  was  spent  by  the 
boys  and  Doctor  Bartlett  in  a  thorough  examination  of 
the  machinery  and  methods  in  use  on  the  ship.  In  the 
chief  engineer  they  found  not  only  a  man  who  was 
thoroughly  versed  in  the  science  of  his  calling,  but  one 
who  took   much   delight  in  imparting   his   knowledge   to 


The  Bahamas  ij 

such  interested  and  attentive  listeners  as  he  found  the 
boys  to  be.  From  the  boiler  and  its  pumps  to  the  elec- 
tric lighting  arrangements  and  the  powerful  search-light 
at  the  bow,  everything  under  his  care  was  made  as  plain 
as  need  be.  So,  too,  with  the  second  officer,  into  whose 
care  they  were  given  by  the  captain  ;  they  found  him  to 
be  one  who  could  not  take  too  much  trouble  to  explain 
all  the  many  riggings  and  odd  appliances  over  which  he 
had  charge. 

Naturally  both  boys  looked  forward  to  the  approach  of 
Cape  Hatteras  with  some  dread.  For  the  first  two  days 
they  had  felt  nothing  of  seasickness  save  slight  uneasiness 
after  the  rather  heavy  meals  which  the  appetizing  sea  air 
made  necessary.  But  the  cape  was  passed  while  they 
were  safely  asleep  in  their  berths,  and  when  they  awoke 
in  the  morning  it  was  in  the  smooth  waters  that  intervene 
after  the  Gulf  Stream  has  been  passed  and  the  Bahama 
Sea  is  being  approached.  This  was  a  delightful  surprise 
to  them,  and  they  were  inclined  to  take  the  Doctor  to 
task  for  frightening  them  unnecessarily. 

That  night,  after  a  day  spent  in  studying  the  geography 
of  the  land  that  they  were  first  to  visit,  they  were  about 
ready  to  turn  in  again,  when  the  voice  of  the  officer  on 
the  lookout  rang  out  suddenly  and  loud  :  — 

"  Hard  aport !  Hard  aport !  A  derelict  on  the  port 
bow  ! " 

Every  one  who  was  yet  on  deck  rushed  to  the  port 
side  of  the  vessel,  and  the  boys  reached  there,  without  in 
the  least  knowing  what  was  the  great  attraction,  just  in 
time    to    see   the    "Orizaba"    rush    past   what    to   them 


1 8  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

appeared  to  be  a  half-sunken  raft  with  its  centre  rounded 
up. 

"  What  was  that,  Doctor  ?  what  is  a  derelict  ? "  asked 
Ned. 

"  A  derelict  is  a  vessel,  or  a  part  of  one,  or  even  a  large 
part  of  its  cargo,  that  has  been  wrecked  and  abandoned  at 
sea,  and  is  moving  about  at  the  will  of  the  currents,  with- 
out any  one  knowing  just  where  it  is  likely  to  turn  up 
next.  The  one  we  just  passed  did  not  look  very  danger- 
ous, but  in  fact  it  was  of  the  most  dangerous  kind.  It 
was  a  vessel  of  some  size,  probably  a  three-masted 
schooner,  which,  entirely  overturned  in  some  severe 
storm,  is  now  drifting  around  bottom  side  up.  As  the 
cargo  is  still  in  it,  and  it  is  filled  with  water,  it  is  very 
nearly  as  heavy  as  the  water  and,  therefore,  shows  only 
a  small  part  above  the  surface.  The  most  watchful  look- 
out is  likely  to  overlook  such  a  hulk  as  that  at  night,  and 
no  eyes  can  by  any  possibility  see  it  on  a  dark  night. 
Yet  there  is  so  much  of  the  water-soaked  bulk  under  the 
surface  that,  if  we  had  run  into  it,  strong  as  this  vessel  is, 
we  might  quite  well  have  sustained  such  injuries  as  would 
have  made  it  the  work  of  the  most  skilful  sailor  to  take  us 
into  the  nearest  port  safely. 

"  It  is  a  fair  estimate  to  say  that  there  are  in  all  oceans 
over  three  hundred  such  dangerous  craft,  drifting  idly 
from  point  to  point.  Our  government  and  that  of  Great 
Britain  are  both  active  in  searching  for  these  vessels,  and, 
where  they  can  be,  they  are  brought  into  port,  but  more 
frequently  they  are  blown  into  pieces  with  dynamite. 
The  reports  for  the  last  year  show  that   1086  vessels  were 


s 


The  Bahamas  19 


wrecked,  and  quite  a  number  of  these  are  yet  floating 
around  in  the  different  oceans.  This  part  of  the  ocean 
into  which  we  are  now  coming  is  particularly  attractive 
to  them,  by  reason  of  the  queer  roundabout  currents  that 
here  set  in  on  the  borders  of  the  Gulf  Stream. 

"  One  of  the  most  interesting  derelicts  ever  reported  is 
that  of  the  ship  '  Fred  B.  Taylor,'  which  was  run  down 
and  cut  in  two  off  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  After 
the  collision  the  two  parts  of  the  'Taylor'  drifted  in 
entirely  different  directions.  The  stern  floated  almost 
due  north  and  finally  went  ashore  on  the  coast  of 
Maine ;  while  the  bow  drifted  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
and  was  last  reported  down  in  these  very  waters.  This 
shows  by  how  little  a  distance  the  different  currents  in 
the  ocean  may  be  separated ;  cut  in  two,  these  two  halves 
were  at  once  taken  up  by  totally  different  streams  of  the 
Atlantic,  with  the  wonderful  result  of  soon  separating 
them  nearly  two  thousand  miles." 

The  next  morning  the  boys  found  themselves  wakened, 
bright  and  early,  that  they  might  make  a  hurried  break- 
fast and  go  ashore  at  the  little  city  of  Nassau  on  the 
Island  of  New  Providence  and  the  capital  town  of  all  the 
Bahamas.  This  was  the  end  of  the  first  part  of  their  sea 
voyage ;  from  here  they  were  to  take  passage  in  any  small 
craft  that  they  might  find  bound  down  through  the 
islands,  until  they  reached  Haiti,  having  crossed  which  in 
the  saddle,  they  would  again  take  a  steamer  for  Jamaica. 

At  Nassau  the  boys  got  their  first  taste  of  the  tropical 
life  which  for  weeks  to  come  was  to  grow  more  and  more 
familiar  to  them,  yet  never  lose  its  charm  for  them.     The 


20  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

balmy  air  that  was  a  mixture  of  the  tropical  heat  of  the 
sun  and  the  cooling  airs  of  the  ocean  was  most  delightful. 
The  air  of  languid  indifference,  which  was  a  prominent 
characteristic  of  the  natives,  was  their  first  introduction 
to  the  dreamy  negro  in  his  paradise  —  a  country  where 
much  work  was  unnecessary.  The  foliage  of  the  tall, 
waving  bamboos  and  the  great  wing-like  leaves  of  the 
cocoanut  palms,  with  the  shadowy  effects  of  the  tama- 
rinds and  the  mighty  masses  of  green  from  the  silk-cotton 
trees,  were  all  so  different  from  anything  with  which  they 
were  acquainted  that  they  were  almost  oppressed  with  a 
sense  of  all  that  there  was  to  see  and  a  fear  that  they 
would  miss  some  important  items  of  tropical  interest. 

However,  the  Doctor  impressed  upon  them  the  fact 
that  from  this  point  through  their  trip  they  would  en- 
counter more  and  more  of  true  tropical  life,  the  merest 
indication  of  which  they  were  now  seeing  for  the  first 
time.  There  were  certain  things  that  they  could  see  in 
these  islands  to  better  advantage  than  anywhere  else; 
otherwise  he  would  not  have  brought  them  here,  but 
would  have  set  sail  at  once  for  Haiti.  These  things  he 
would  take  care  that  they  should  see,  and  they  had  no 
reason  to  worry  lest  they  should  overlook  anything,  for 
all  this  land  was  as  familiar  to  him  as  was  that  around  his 
own  home,  and  his  purpose  in  coming  with  them  was  that 
they  should  in  time  share  that  familiarity  with  him. 

One  of  the  wonders  that  attracted  their  attention  in 
their  first  walk  around  the  little  city  was  a  mighty  silk- 
cotton  tree,  which  they  were  told  was  one  of  the  sights 
of  the  place.     This    enormous   growth    did   not  seem  to 


The  Bahamas  21 


them  much  higher  than  some  oaks  at  home,  but  the  size 
of  the  trunk  and  the  way  the  main  roots  started  away 
from  the  trunk  above  ground  was  quite  different  from  any 
growth  that  they  had  seen  in  northern  woods.  So  far 
above  the  ground  did  these  buttresses  start  and  so  far  did 
they  reach  out  before  they  disappeared  in  the  earth,  that, 
as  Ned  said,  it  would  have  been  quite  possible  to  stable 
a  horse  between  two  of  them. 

"Doctor,"  asked  Harry,  " shall  we  see  any  bigger  trees 
than  this  one  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  we  shall  see  some  that  go  far  beyond  this  both 
in  height  and  in  expanse.  Probably  the  tallest  trees  are 
the  giant  Sequoias  of  California,  of  which  you  have  read 
and  seen  pictures,  although  there  are  a  few  in  the  interior 
of  Australia  that  are  about  their  equals.  In  Jamaica  we 
shall  see  some  royal  specimens  of  the  Banyan  trees,  or 
Sacred  Figs  of  India,  as  they  are  often  called.  They  will 
be  of  such  expanse  that  this  tree  would  be  quite  lost  in 
comparison.  It  is  the  Banyan,  I  am  inclined  to  think, 
that  Milton  alludes  to  in  his  '  Paradise  Lost '  as  the 
tree  from  which  was  made  the  fig-leaf  clothing  that 
was  first  worn  in  the  Garden  of  Eden.  Perhaps  the 
most  celebrated  of  those  vegetable  monsters  is  one 
that  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  swinging  my  ham- 
mock under  in  India.  As  you  know,  the  great  size  of 
the  Banyan  trees  is  due  to  their  throwing  their  branches 
to  some  length  and  then  sending  others  down  to  the 
ground,  which  take  root  and  virtually  make  other  support- 
ing stems.  In  this  way  the  tree  at  last  comes  to  look 
like  a  vast  collection  of  trees,  all  growing  closely  together, 


22  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

but  an  examination  soon  shows  that  it  is  all  one  growth 
and  has  its  origin  in  one  main  trunk  which  is  often  from 
ten  to  fifteen  feet  through.  The  famous  Indian  tree  has 
more  than  one  thousand  of  these  smaller  trunks  support- 
ing the  immense  weight  of  the  whole  growth,  under  which 
fully  five  thousand  men  could  comfortably  stand  at  one 
time.  It  is  believed  with  good  reason  that  it  is  over  two 
thousand  years  old,  and  is  not  unnaturally  worshipped  by 
the  superstitious  natives,  not  as  a  god  itself,  but  as  a  tree 
in  which  many  gods  must  have  found  shelter  when  they 
were  visiting  this  earth." 

On  the  morning  of  their  second  day  in  the  Island  of 
New  Providence  the  boys  were  introduced  to  their  first 
butterfly  hunt  in  the  tropics.  With  their  nets  and  boxes 
they  all  took  an  early  start  for  a  garden  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,  where  the  Doctor  had  procured  the  right  to 
catch  all  that  they  could  of  their  coveted  treasures,  and 
there  they  had  the  great  joy  of  seeing  at  the  first  moment 
a  species  that  was  entirely  different  from  anything  they 
had  yet  seen.  The  Doctor,  who  had  caught  butterflies  in 
almost  every  part  of  the  world,  was  much  amused  at  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  they  ran  after  species  which  they 
would  in  a  little  time  be  looking  upon  with  utter  indiffer- 
ence because  of  their  abundance.  But  he  said  nothing 
of  this  sort,  for  he  well  knew  the  joy  of  such  work  in  new 
fields,  and  he  did  not  intend  that  anything  should  take 
from  their  intense  enjoyment  of  all  the  newness  around 
them.  That  butterfly  collecting  was  quite  a  different 
thing  in  this  much  hotter  sunlight  the  boys  soon  found 
out  to  their  sorrow,  and  Ned  was  the  first  to  come  to  the 


The  Bahamas  23 


Doctor  with  the  remark  that  he  had  not  supposed  that 
it  could  be  so  hot  in  October,  even  though  the  sun  was 
so  much  more  directly  overhead.  At  this  the  Doctor 
laughed,  saying :  — 

"Why,  my  boy,  this  is  delightfully  cool  weather  as 
compared  with  what  you  would  experience  if  you  were 
to  go  down  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  or  the  Island  of 
Trinidad.  There  you  would  find  the  thermometer  above 
115  degrees  in  the  sun  oftener  than  not.  Fortu- 
nately from  this  on  you  will  become  more  and  more 
accustomed  to  such  high  temperature,  and  before  you 
realize  it  you  will  think  the  present  heat  nothing  what- 
ever. Then,  too,  you  will  have,  wherever  you  go,  cool 
nights,  when  sleep  will  always  be  comfortable  and 
refreshing." 

Just  then  Harry  came  up  in  a  hurry,  with  a  look  of 
wonder  in  his  eyes  and  with  a  beautiful  green  and  black 
butterfly  in  his  hand. 

"  Now  don't  laugh  at  me  and  say  that  I  am  dreaming, 
but  if  I  didn't  find  this  butterfly  in  the  water  over  there, 
actually  bathing,  then  I  don't  know  how  to  tell  the  truth." 

"Well,  I  felt  some  headache  from  the  hot  sun,"  retorted 
Ned,  "but  I  had  no  idea  that  it  was  hot  enough  to  affect 
Harry's  mind  so  soon.  Next  thing  he  will  be  finding 
them  taking  athletic  exercise  or  learning  to  play  foot- 
ball." 

"  Oh,  you  can  poke  all  the  fun  you  want  to,  Ned  ;  but 
I  really  saw  this  beauty  sitting  at  the  edge  of  the  water, 
and  every  few  moments  walking  a  little  way  into  it  and 
shaking  its  wings  and  legs  just  as  though  it  was  trying  to 


24  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

throw  the  water  over  itself.  What  could  it  have  been 
doing  such  a  queer  thing  for,  do  you  think,  Doctor  ? " 

"  Harry's  description  of  what  he  saw  is  a  very  good  one, 
and  the  butterfly's  motive  I  think  I  can  make  plain  if 
you  will  give  it  to  me."  So  saying  the  Doctor  took  the 
insect  and  carefully  examined  it  under  the  magnifying  glass 
which  he  always  carried  in  his  pocket. 

"  Yes,  it  is  as  I  thought,"  handing  both  the  butterfly 
and  the  glass  to  Harry.  "  At  the  roots  of  the  wings  and 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  body  you  will  see  a  lot  of  little 
reddish  specks,  which  under  the  glass  you  will  see  are 
nothing  else  than  very  tiny  eight-legged  insects  of  the 
family  of  mites  or  ticks.  These  are  what  is  termed  para- 
sitic on  the  butterfly ;  that  is  they  are  living  on  it  and 
getting  their  nourishment  much  as  a  tick  or  a  flea  gets  it 
from  us  —  by  sucking  the  blood.  Of  course  this  causes 
the  butterfly  much  the  same  sort  of  annoyance  that  the 
flea  causes  us,  and  therefore  it  was  with  the  intention  of 
getting  rid  of  these  pests  by  drowning  them  that  the  little 
beauty  was  doing  such  an  un-butterfly-like  thing  as  taking 
a  bath." 

"Well,  I  guess  the  joke  is  on  me  this  time,"  said  Ned, 
with  a  laugh. 

"  It  was  not  alone  your  laughing  remark  about  bathing 
butterflies  that  showed  that  you  had  no  idea  how  many 
queer  habits  the  little  creatures  have,"  the  Doctor  com- 
mented. "  What  you  have  said  about  their  taking  athletic 
exercise  was  also  somewhat  at  fault.  Many  butterflies  have 
the  habit  of  sitting  for  a  long  time  in  one  position  and 
then  suddenly  darting  off  into  the   air,  rushing  around  a 


The  Bahamas  25 


few  times  in  a  circle  without  any  apparent  motive,  resum- 
ing their  former  position  and  sitting  as  quietly  as  though 
they  had  not  just  been  indulging  in  a  sort  of  romp  all 
alone.  What  but  the  desire  to  take  exercise  or  to  show 
their  wonderful  powers  of  wing  to  some  mate  who  is 
hidden  in  the  foliage  near  by  can  account  for  such  a  per- 
formance, no  naturalist  can  say  ;  and  it  is  generally  ac- 
cepted that  they  are  taking  exercise." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Doctor,  that  there  is  just  as  much 
that  is  interesting  in  the  ways  of  the  insects,  as  there 
is  in  the  bigger  world?"  Harry  asked. 

"  Far  more,  in  my  opinion  ;  there  are  more  different 
kinds  of  insects  and  insect-like  creatures  described  by 
naturalists  than  there  are  of  all  other  animal  life  together 
and  of  all  flowering  plants  added.  Of  the  beetles  alone 
there  are  nearly  11,000  different  kinds  found  in  the  United 
States,  and  it  has  been  estimated  that  when  naturalists  are 
done  with  the  classification  of  the  wasps,  ants,  and  bees, 
and  their  tribe,  they  will  find  not  less  than  35,000  different 
sorts  in  South  America,  and  perhaps  as  much  as  150,000 
in  the  entire  world.  But  it  is  when  we  begin  to  make  our 
investigations  with  the  microscope  that  we  get  our  first 
just  ideas  of  how  many  and  minute  are  the  works  of  Dame 
Nature  in  the  world  of  little  things. 

"  As  compared  with  the  common  house-fly,  the  elephant 
is  a  mighty  monster,  yet  he  is  no  bigger  in  comparison  than 
the  fly  is  when  compared  with  some  of  the  little  objects 
found  living  upon  the  latter.  More  than  a  dozen  different 
creatures  are  found  living  within  the  body  of  the  fly  and 
getting  sustenance  from  his  food  or  blood.      In  his  probos- 


26  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

cis  there  is  often  to  be  found  coiled  up  a  tiny,  hair-like 
worm,  that  causes  the  poor  fly  much  inconvenience  and 
sometimes  results  in  his  death.  So,  too,  in  the  tiny 
digestive  organs  of  the  smallest  mosquito  may  be  found 
two  kinds  of  little  parasites  that  live  there  perfectly  con- 
tent to  let  their  host  do  the  food-getting  while  they  ride 
around  inside  all  their  lives,  getting  their  food  without  any 
trouble  but  to  eat  it.  The  wonderfully  big  and  grand 
universe  that  the  telescope  reveals  to  us  in  the  unthink- 
able distances  of  space  is  no  more  marvellous  in  its 
way  than  are  the  creatures  of  the  tiny  worlds  that  the 
microscope  divulges  to  those  who  will  use  it  with  care  and 
patience." 


CHAPTER   III 

DOWN    IN    A    DIVING-BELL 

Wondering  Darkies  —  Who  are  Americans?  —  The  Name  of  our  Continent  — 
The  English  Army  —  Professor  Watson's  Offer  —  A  Philosophical  Skipper 
—  Native  Incredulity  —  The  Diving-Bell  —  The  Diver's  Sensations  —  On 
the  Bottom  of  the  Sea  —  Plant-like  Animals  —  Sponge  Fishers  —  Phospho- 
rescence of  the  Sea  —  The  Immensity  of  Animal  Life 

WHEREVER  our  party  went  in  or  around  the  town 
they  were  followed  by  a  throng  of  the  youngsters 
of  the  region,  in  whose  faces  awe  and  curiosity  were 
strangely  mixed.  The  words  "  duppy-bat  catching  "  were 
used  by  them  in  stage  whispers  from  time  to  time,  and  at 
last  Harry  asked  the  Doctor  what  they  meant  by  the 
expression. 

"  Duppies  are  the  harmless  spirits  of  this  part  of  negro- 
land,  and  to  them  signify  about  what  you  boys  used  to 
understand  by  brownies  and  fairies.  There  is  something 
so  unreal  about  butterflies  to  these  ignorant  people  that 
duppy-bat  exactly  expresses  their  ideas  of  them.  You  will 
find  that  the  smaller  children  are  afraid  of  butterflies 
although  they  show  but  little  dislike  for  a  cockroach  or  a 
big,  savage-looking  beetle." 

" There  is  another  thing  I  notice,"  said  Ned;  "when 
any  of  these  people  speak  of  us,  they  call  us  Americans, 
just  as  if  they  were  not  as  much  Americans  as  we  are. 

Why  is  that?" 

27 


28  The  Btttterfly  Hunters 

"  Although  the  name  America  is  geographically  applied 
to  all  the  Western  World,  from  which  the  name  first  came, 
still  from  this  time  on  you  will  hear  it  used  as  only  apply- 
ing to  that  part  of  the  New  World  which  is  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  United  States.  These  people  around 
us  consider  themselves  Bahamans,  not  Americans.  And 
so  you  will  find  it  everywhere ;  we  will  meet  Haitians, 
Jamaicans,  Nicaraguans,  Venezuelans,  and  so  on,  but  never 
Americans  unless  we  run  across  some  one  from  our  own 
land." 

"  Just  now  you  spoke  of  the  part  of  the  New  World 
from  which  the  name  America  came.  Wasn't  the  name 
taken  from  that  of  Amerigo  Vespucci,  the  discoverer  ? " 

"  That  is  the  statement  that  you  will  find  in  most 
geographies  and  histories  so  far  as  I  know  them.  The 
word  is  one  that  has  never  been  found  in  any  document 
published  in  Europe  prior  to  the  time  of  the  discovery, 
but  it  is  one  that  was  found  by  the  early  discoverers  in 
two  places  here :  once  in  the  Veragua  region  where  it 
still  is  in  use  as  the  name  of  a  locality ;  and  again,  in 
Nicaragua,  where  it  was  in  use  as  '  Amerrique,'  to  signify 
a  mountain  chain  and  a  powerful  Indian  tribe.  On  a 
map  made  in  October,  1502,  which  is  entitled  'A  nautical 
chart  of  the  islands  newly  found  in  the  regions  of  India/ 
and  which  was  made  by  Cantino,  and  is  believed  to  have 
been  corrected  by  Vespucci  himself,  the  name  first  appears 
as  '  Tamarique,'  which  was  a  shortening  of  the  words 
terra  Amarique,  or   the  land  of  Amerique." 

"  Wasn't  it  a  very  strange  thing  that  this  tribe  should 
have  a  name  so  like  that  of  the  discoverer  ? " 


Down  in  a  Diving- Bell  29 

"There  again  we  have  little  proof  of  the  accuracy 
of  the  theory  that  has  been  so  long  taught.  That 
Amerigo  spelled  his  name  in  different  ways  there  is 
the  best  of  proof ;  and  that  he  did  not  spell  it  so  as  to 
resemble  that  of  the  Indian  tribe  until  that  name  was 
given  to  the  land  is  well  shown  by  more  than  one  of  his 
signatures.  All  that  can  be  said  at  this  late  day  is  that 
the  name  was  far  more  likely  to  be  given  to  the  land  in 
honor  of  the  principal  tribe  that  dwelt  in  the  neighbor- 
hood that  was  first  so  named  than  in  honor  of  a  then 
obscure  voyager,  who  was  not  even  in  command  of  the 
expedition  that  made  the  discoveries  in  that  region." 

In  Nassau  the  boys  were  treated  to  their  first  sight  of 
the  English  army  ;  for  wherever  there  is  an  English 
colony,  there  must  also  be  that  upholder  of  Her  Majesty's 
power  and  dignity,  the  wearer  of  the  red  coat.  The 
Doctor  was  anxious  for  them  to  be  impressed  with  the 
splendid  condition  of  these  troops,  because  the  next  mili- 
tary display  that  they  would  see  would  be  in  Haiti,  and  he 
knew  that  they  would  enjoy  the  farce  there  presented,  all 
the  more  from  being  familiar  with  the  perfections  of  the 
English  troops.  While  they  were  there,  the  Governor, 
Sir  Ambrose  Shea,  on  whom  they  had  called  with  a  letter 
of  introduction,  reviewed  the  troops,  and  our  party  were 
invited.  Then  they  were  able  to  admire,  in  all  their 
glory,  the  well-drilled  men  in  their  beautiful  and  showy 
uniforms.  Turning  from  the  sight  of  this  splendor  to 
the  Doctor,  Harry  said  :  — 

"Why  can't  our  government,  which  is  called  the  rich- 
est in  the  world,  afford  to  dress  its  soldiers  so  they  will 


30  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

look  so  handsome  ?  Just  think  how  miserable  they  would 
look  by  the  side  of  these  scarlet  coats  and  white  trousers 
in  their  dusty  gray-blue  uniforms  !  " 

"  Which  would  you  rather  wear,"  asked  the  Doctor,  "if 
you  were  in  an  open  field  or  a  thicket,  and  were  under 
fire  ?  Is  the  man  in  the  red  or  the  one  in  the  dull  blue 
most  likely  to  be  a  good  target  for  the  guns  of  the 
enemy  ?  And  there  is  another  peculiarity  which  adds 
both  beauty  and  danger  to  the  uniform.  It  is  the  way 
in  which  the  leather  strap  and  the  polished  Queen's 
arms  are  worn  across  the  breast.  Any  one  who  will  take 
careful  aim  at  that  shining  ornament  on  the  breast  is  quite 
sure  to  inflict  a  deadly  wound,  as  the  most  dangerous 
part  of  the  whole  body  to  shoot  into  is  thus  plainly  marked 
out." 

On  the  fourth  day  of  their  stay  at  Nassau  the  Doctor 
arranged  a  treat  for  the  boys  that  was  their  first  real  expe- 
rience of  adventure  and  was  ahead  of  anything  promised 
them.  This  was  nothing  less  than  a  chance  to  go  down 
in  a  diver's  bell  after  coral  and  other  sea  growth,  in  charge 
of  an  experienced  diver.  There  was  there  at  that  time 
an  expedition  from  an  American  museum  provided  with 
a  complete  diver's  outfit,  and  one  of  the  party  was  well 
acquainted  with  such  work.  Doctor  Bartlett  was  well 
known  by  reputation  to  these  gentlemen,  and  he  took  the 
boys  to  examine  the  treasures  that  they  had  collected. 
Many  were  the  expressions  of  wonder  and  admiration  that 
these  called  forth,  but  over  nothing  did  they  show  more 
admiration  than  over  the  many  odd  creatures  that  the  div- 
ing expert  had  collected  from  the  bay. 


Down  in  a  Diving-Be  11  31 

"  I  never  had  any  idea  how  beautiful  and  queerly  shaped 
these  things  were.  And  I  didn't  think  there  were  so 
many  different  kinds  in  one  part  of  the  world." 

So  said  Ned,  but  Harry,  always  the  more  practical  of 
the  two,  added  :  — 

"  Couldn't  we  get  some  of  these  near  shore,  just  by 
diving  ?     We  are  both  good  divers  and  can  swim  all  day." 

"  There  are  rather  too  many  sharks  in  these  waters  for 
me  to  let  you  run  that  risk,  my  boy ;  but  for  a  few  pennies 
we  can  get  any  number  of  the  little  darkies  of  the  town 
to  dive  for  us,  and  while  I  will  not  vouch  for  the  condition 
that  the  things  that  they  bring  us  will  be  in,  still  I  think 
it  will  be  worth  while  to  give  it  a  trial." 

"  If  the  young  men  want  to  have  a  taste  of  the  sort  of 
life  the  diver  lives,  it  would  be  perfectly  convenient  for 
me  to  take  one  at  a  time  with  me  to-morrow  in  my  bell, 
if  you  are  willing,  Doctor,  to  entrust  them  to  my  care," 
the  collector  of  these  things,  Professor  Watson,  offered. 

"  I  have  tried  that  sort  of  thing  myself,"  the  Doctor 
replied,  "and  I  know  it  to  be  perfectly  safe.  If  the  boys 
want  to  try  the  experiment,  I  have  no  objection  whatever." 

WThere  is  there  a  healthy  boy  who  would  not  jump  at 
such  a  chance,  just  as  Ned  and  Hal  did  ?  It  took  but 
little  time  to  arrange  that  they  were  to  be  at  the  harbor 
ready  for  a  morning's  sail  at  an  early  hour  so  that  the  out- 
going tide  might  be  in  their  favor. 

The  boat  used  by  the  student  of  sea  life  was  not  much 
to  look  at  nor  much  for  fast  sailing  ;  but,  as  that  gentleman 
said,  it  was  as  steady  as  a  tub,  and  steadiness  was  what  was 
wanted   for  the  sort  of   work  that  he  was   doing.     The 


32  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

skipper  of  this  boat  was  what  the  Professor  called  an 
African  brunette ;  in  other  words,  he  was  as  black  and  shiny 
as  a  negro's  skin  can  ever  get.  But  under  the  black  skin 
and  the  rather  fat  face  without  much  expression  in  it  there 
was  a  lot  of  common  sense  which  made  him  a  perfect  master 
of  his  boat,  and  which  also  made  his  conversation  by  no 
means  the  least  enjoyable  of  the  morning's  experiences. 

"  Hi !  but  hit  do  beat  the  massy  what  do  breng  all  you 
'Mericans  out  here  in  dis  brilin'  sun  to  go  down  after  dese 
debilments  in  de  water.  Long  as  dey  was  just  de  Pr'fesser 
what  wanted  dem,  I  spected  dat  he  was  a  little  wrong  in 
his  head.  But  now,  when  all  dese  yuther  'Mericans  come 
out  after  de  same  tings,  dey  yaint  no  use  atellin'  me  dat 
dey  yaint  o'  some  use  in  de  way  o'  doctorin',  or  fo'  some 
kind  o'  charms." 

"  Our  friend  here,"  the  Professor  remarked,  with  a  laugh, 
"  is  much  disturbed  on  this  subject.  That  men,  sane  men, 
can  possibly  care  to  spend  time  and  money  in  studying 
these  things  simply  for  the  sake  of  the  naturalist's  love  of 
discovery,  without  any  idea  of  turning  their  work  towards 
its  money  value,  if  it  have  such,  he  will  not  believe.  That 
there  is  some  hidden  motive  that  induces  me  to  go  to  all 
this  trouble  under  the  sea,  he  feels  sure.  In  this  he  is  not 
so  very  different  from  many  in  our  own  country,  for  the 
question,  '  What  good  is  it  ? '  is  perhaps  the  one  of  all 
others  that  we  naturalists  have  to  answer  most  frequently  ; 
do  we  not,  Doctor?" 

"  Everywhere  that  I  have  been,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  have 
found  that  it  was  well-nigh  impossible  to  get  natives  to 
understand  that  the   things   that  are   the    most   desirable 


Down  in  a  Diving- Bell  33 

treasures  to  us  are  simply  of  use,  in  most  cases,  for  the 
study  of  their  forms,  habits,  and  distribution,  with  the 
intention  of  arranging  them  according  to  our  ideas  of 
the  whole  plan  of  Nature.  One  of  the  hardest  customers 
of  this  sort  that  I  have  yet  met  I  came  across  in  our  own 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  blacksmith  in  the  in- 
terior of  Pike  County,  which  is  a  forsaken  wilderness  from 
one  end  to  the  other.  The  old  fellow  was  an  ardent  trout 
fisherman,  and  it  was  in  one  of  his  wanderings  after  the 
speckled  beauties  that  he  came  across  the  place  where  I 
was  encamped.  He  had  evidently  been  watching  me 
from  a  distance  for  some  time  as  I  stood  near  a  stream 
catching  dragonflies,  or,  as  they  are  there  called,  'snake- 
feeders.' 

"  At  last  he  stepped  out  of  the  bushes  and  asked  me  if 
he  might  inquire  what  use  I  made  of  these  insects ;  and 
I  could  see  by  his  half-contemptuous  manner  that  he 
expected  me  to  admit  that  I  wanted  them  for  fish  bait, 
and  that  I  was  not  skilful  enough  to  get  along  without 
live  bait.  He  could  not  be  made  to  understand  that  the 
simple  study  of  their  peculiarities  could  be  of  any  interest 
to  me ;  and  when  I  attempted  to  explain  to  him  that  there 
were  some  among  those  that  I  had  collected  that  were  not 
yet  even  named,  he  delivered  me  such  a  lecture  as  I  am 
not  likely  to  forget  for  many  a  long  day.  He  reminded 
me  that  in  the  days  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  all  animals 
had  been  called  together  by  Adam  and  had  then  received 
names.  According  to  his  reasoning  Adam  was  the  only 
man  who  had  been  given  the  right  to  give  names  to  the 
animals,  and,  as  he  had  no  doubt  given  these  creatures 


34  Tlie  Butterfly  Hunters 

names,  it  was  my  duty  to  find  out  and  use  only  them. 
He  ended  by  saying  that  if  I  caught  all  the  snake-feeders, 
as  he  called  them,  the  snakes  would  die  for  want  of  food, 
and  I  had  no  right  thus  to  interfere  with  the  plan  that 
had  been  devised  for  feeding  them. 

"  It  was  no  use  for  me  to  try  to  explain  to  him  that  in 
using  the  name  '  snake-feeder '  he  was  using  a  name  not 
given  by  Adam ;  nor  was  it  possible  for  me  to  get  him  to 
believe  that  the  dragonflies  had  really  nothing  to  do  with 
feeding  the  snakes.  With  the  parting  warning  that  in  all 
probability  I  would  be  severely  stung  by  my  stingless 
captives,  he  left  me  to  my  own  wicked  ways,  as  he 
believed  them  to  be.  So  you  see  one  does  not  have  to 
go  very  far  from  home  to  meet  people  who  have  the 
oddest  ideas  on  the  subject  of  naturalists  and  their 
habits." 

While  this  conversation  had  been  in  progress,  the 
diving  ground  had  been  reached,  and  already  the  Professor 
had  made  such  arrangements  as  were  necessary  to  lower 
the  diving-bell  from  the  bow  of  the  boat.  The  bell,  an 
iron  concern,  much  the  shape  of  a  water  glass  upside 
down,  was  so  fastened  at  the  bowsprit  with  rigging  that 
it  was  possible  to  let  it  down  or  raise  it  up  rapidly  or 
slowly  at  will  and  according  to  signals  given  by  its  occu- 
pant to  those  on  deck.  Professor  Watson  explained  how 
fresh  air  was  supplied  by  an  air-pump  on  deck  and 
how  the  impure  air  was  allowed  to  escape,  showed  how 
substantially  everything  about  it  was  made,  and  how  safe 
from  accidents  it  was  likely  to  be,  and  then  said  :  — 

"  You  young  men  must  not  think  that  going  down  in  a 


Down  in  a  Diving- Bell  35 

diving-bell  is  absolutely  painless,  but  at  the  same  time  the 
pain  is  quite  unimportant.  Soon  after  the  bell  begins  to 
sink,  you  will  feel  some  pain  in  the  ears  and  over  the  eyes, 
which  will  continue  until  the  bottom  has  been  reached. 
Then  it  will  disappear  to  be  replaced  by  a  feeling  of 
depression,  such  as  we  have  from  a  headache  on  a  damp, 
murky  day ;  but  it  will  come  back  again  when  we  start 
to  rise,  and  will  continue  until  we  reach  the  surface  again, 
when  it  will  disappear  in  exchange  for  a  delightful  feeling 
of  buoyancy  and  comfort.  I  often  think  it  is  worth  while 
to  make  such  a  descent  just  to  realize  how  delight- 
ful life  in  the  pure,  bracing  air  really  is,  and  how  much 
I  have  to  be  thankful  for  that  submarine  diving  is  not  my 
occupation,  but  only  my  recreation." 

"  Professor,  what  causes  the  pain  you  speak  of  ? "  asked 
Ned,  who  had  been  chosen  to  go  down  first,  and  who  was 
putting  on  a  pair  of  swimming-trousers  preparatory  to 
climbing  into  the  bell,  which  already  was  swinging  over 
the  water. 

"Although  our  bell  will  go  down  very  gradually,  not 
faster  than  four  feet  a  minute,  or  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  in 
twenty-two  hours,  our  heads  are  not  able  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  change  in  air  pressure  which  follows  from 
the  increasing  depth.  Of  course  you  understand  that  the 
bell  acts  just  as  does  a  tumbler  when  placed  in  water 
upside  down.  The  air  in  it  cannot  escape  and,  being  very 
elastic,  it  is  much  condensed  by  the  pressure  of  the  non- 
elastic  water.  The  bell  as  it  goes  down  has  the  air  within 
it  condensed  into  a  smaller  space,  until  at  thirty-three  feet 
under  the  surface  it  is  forced  to  half  its  former  bulk,  and 


2,6  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

the  bell  will  be  half  full  of  water,  provided  a  greater 
pressure  is  not  supplied  by  the  air-pump  on  deck.  Now 
the  air  as  it  grows  denser  presses  on  the  outside  of  our 
bodies,  but  the  channels  through  which  it  gets  to  the 
cavities  in  our  heads  are  so  small,  as  a  rule,  that  there  is 
at  once  an  inequality  in  the  pressure  which  bears  upon 
certain  nerves  and  causes  this  pain. 

"  Take  the  pain  in  the  ears,  for  example :  at  once  the 
increased  pressure  is  felt  on  the  tympanic  membrane  or 
1  drum  '  of  the  ear,  but  the  change  cannot  be  felt  so  soon 
on  the  other  side  of  this  membrane,  because  the  air  that 
reaches  the  inner  ear  passes  through  the  narrow,  crooked 
passages  of  the  Eustachian  tubes  which  communicate  with 
the  throat  and  nose  and  supply  but  a  small  amount  of  air 
at  a  time.  Hence,  while  a  change  is  going  on  in  the  air's 
density,  it  is  felt  instantly  without,  and  but  slowly  within, 
and  the  inequality  of  pressure  so  caused  gives  rise  to 
pain." 

"  How  far  can  men  go  down  in  these  bells  safely, 
Professor  ?  " 

"  There  As  an  authentic  record  of  one  who  went  down 
and  stayed  several  hours  at  the  depth  of  two  hundred  feet, 
where  the  ordinary  pressure  of  fifteen  pounds  per  square 
inch  had  been  replaced  by  one  of  eighty-seven  pounds  ; 
but  such  a  feat  is  most  hazardous.  Even  one  hundred 
feet  may  be  considered  unsafe  for  most  men  ;  only  such 
as  are  young  and  blessed  with  perfect  health,  well  regu- 
lated hearts,  and  strong  lungs,  can  stay  long  at  such  depths. 
Bridge  and  harbor  workers,  at  such  depths,  are  frequently 
partially  paralyzed,  but  they  usually  recover  in  a  few  days, 


Down  in  a  Diving-Bell  37 


and  feel  no  further  ill  effects,  if  they  do  not  return  to  the 
work. 

"But  you  need  have  no  feelings  of  uneasiness  to-day, 
for  we  shall  not  go  over  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet,  at  the 
most,  and  neither  of  you  will  suffer  at  that  depth,  once 
you  are  down,"  the  Professor  added,  seeing  a  shade  of 
apprehension  on  Ned's  face. 

"  How  well  can  we  see  down  there  ? "  Harry  asked. 
"  With  the  water  as  beautifully  clear  as  it  is  in  this  har- 
bor, famed  the  world  over  for  that  very  thing,  fifteen  feet 
will  seem  like  a  dark  rainy  day,  and  the  depth  to  which  we 
are  going  will  be  no  worse  than  twilight  or  a  moonlight 
night.  However,  that  we  may  not  overlook  any  treasures,  I 
always  keep  two  powerful  bull's-eye  lanterns  in  the  bell, 
which  I  use  for  final  examination.  But  as  flame  consumes 
the  oxygen  which  we  need  for  breathing,  I  burn  the  lan- 
terns as  little  as  possible." 

By  this  time  the  Professor  and  Ned  were  ready  for  their 
downward  trip,  and,  jumping  into  the  small-boat  which  had 
been  brought  along,  and  was  now  fastened  at  the  bow  of 
the  yacht,  they  were  soon  under  the  bell  and  bad  climbed 
into  it.  When  all  was  ready,  the  boat  was  pulled  to  one 
side,  and  slowly  the  bell  began  to  descend,  while  Ned 
within  shouted  to  his  brother  strangely  muffled  remarks 
about  the  wonders  he  proposed  bringing  up  with  him. 
The  work  of  directing  the  lowering  and  of  keeping 
the  air-pump  under  the  right  pressure  was  entrusted  to 
an  assistant,  without  whose  aid  the  Professor  never 
made  a  descent.  Just  as  the  edge  of  the  bell  was 
reaching  the  water,   Ned's    bare   toes   were  seen  waving 


38  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

beneath  the  rim,  as  the  only  way  of  expressing  a  good-bye 
handshake. 

It  would  be  hard  to  say  to  which  of  the  boys  the  time 
passed  the  most  deceptively :  to  Harry  eager  for  the  thirty 
minutes  to  speed  by  and  bring  his  turn  for  submarine 
exploration,  and  to  whom  his  watch  appeared  to  go  back- 
ward ;  or  to  Ned,  charmed  with  the  wealth  of  the  wonder- 
land he  found  so  new  to  him,  to  whom  the  half-hour 
seemed  hardly  ten  minutes,  so  soon  was  it  gone.  The 
latter,  when  again  he  stood  on  deck,  was  a  picture  of 
animation  and  eagerness,  so  bubbling  over  was  he  with  all 
that  he  had  seen  and  learned.  But  to  all  of  Hal's  ques- 
tions he  replied  with  a  shake  of  his  head. 

"  No,  no;  I  promised  the  Professor  I  would  not  say  a 
word  about  it,  for  it's  only  fair  for  you  to  have  the  fun  of 
discovery,  just  as  I  did.  My !  Doctor,  but  I  am  glad  you 
wouldn't  tell  us  anything  about  what  to  expect,  last  night ! 
Finding  it  all  out  this  way  is  much  better." 

Naturally  under  these  circumstances,  Harry  was  most 
eager  to  start  on  the  bottomward  trip,  and  it  was  not  long 
ere  his  bare  foot  was  waving  a  farewell  to  those  on  deck. 
On  the  return  of  the  bell  and  its  passengers  for  the  second 
time  it  was  noon,  and  the  Professor  and  Hal  found  a 
bountiful  if  rather  primitive  spread  of  sandwiches  await- 
ing them  under  an  awning  that  kept  off  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  It  was  planned  that  each  of  the  boys  should  have 
another  submarine  trip  during  the  afternoon,  and  there- 
fore during  the  meal  and  for  an  hour  or  so  afterwards 
while  they  all  lolled  about  on  deck  and  the  crew  were 
shifting  the  yacht  to  a  new  position,  they  had  plenty  of 


JUMPING    INTO    THE    SMALL    BOAT    THEY    WERE    SOON    UNDER 

THE     BELL. 


Down  in  a  Diving- Bell  39 

time  for  an  exchange  of   experiences  and  the  asking  of 
questions. 

"  Well,  Ned,  what  most  impressed  you  at  the  bottom  of 
the  bay  ?  "  asked  the  Doctor. 

"  The  wonderful  amount  of  strange  life  of  every  kind,  I 
think.  I  had  no  idea  that  these  things  were  so  close 
together.  I  mean,  I  thought  it  was  like  a  farm,  where  one 
part  has  one  thing  growing  and  another  something  else ; 
I  didn't  know  that  it  was  so  much  like  a  woods  where 
everything  grew  thickly  together.  Why,  if  different  seas 
differ  as  much  in  their  animals  and  vegetables  as  do  dif- 
ferent countries  on  shore,  there  must  be  millions  of  won- 
ders under  the  ocean." 

"They  differ  even  more,  in  the  opinion  of  naturalists," 
answered  the  Professor.  "Von  Humboldt,  the  great 
German  explorer  and  scientist,  has  said  that  the  sea  con- 
tains in  its  bosom  an  exuberance  of  life  of  which  no  other# 
portion  of  the  globe  could  give  us  any  idea.  And 
Louis  Figuier,  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  French 
authors,  says,  that  '  the  inhabitants  of  the  water 
are  much  more  numerous  than  those  of  the  solid 
earth.'" 

"And  what  seemed  most  wonderful  to  you,  Harry?" 
queried  the  Doctor. 

"  What  Ned  thought  most  surprising  seemed  so  to  me  ; 
next  to  that  I  think  that  those  animal-plants  that  we 
brought  up  were  the  strangest  discovery.  I  had  seen 
them  in  collections,  but  I  didn't  know  that  they  grew  fast 
to  things,  and  yet  were  really  animals.  What  is  the 
name  you  told  me  for  them,  Professor  ?  " 


4<D  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

"  Zoophytes,  a  name  which  is  compounded  from  two 
Greek  words  meaning  animal  and  plant.  The  name  is  not 
intended  to  show  doubt  in  scientific  minds  as  to  whether 
they  are  of  the  animal  or  vegetable  kingdom,  although  for 
many  years  this  was  a  disputed  point  among  naturalists. 
It  is  well  known  now  that  they  are  animals  pure  and 
simple ;  and  the  name  only  calls  attention  to  certain 
peculiarities  wherein  they  closely  resemble  the  plant  life 
with  which  we  are  most  familiar.  For  instance,  they 
divide  themselves  by  offshoots  as  do  some  plants  —  the 
banana,  for  example ;  they  are  often  crowned  with  bright 
colored  organs  much  resembling  flowers  ;  and  they  are 
frequently  rooted  to  one  spot  and  wave  about  in  the  cur- 
rents as  do  our  flowers  in  the  air." 

"  Do  you  always  use  the  bell  in  your  work  ?  "  asked  the 
Doctor. 

"  No  ;  I  frequently  use  the  diving-suit  with  helmet,  of 
which  I  have  two  now  on  board.  But,  of  course,  they 
would  not  fit  either  of  the  boys,  and  I  always  prefer  the 
bell  when  I  can  get  company.  Two  pairs  of  eyes  are 
much  less  likely  to  overlook  anything  in  a  small  space, 
especially  if  one  pair  is  as  keen  to  observe  as  those 
belonging  to  these  young  men.  Then,  too,  in  these  tropi- 
cal regions  I  feel  safer  in  a  bell.  Beside  the  sharks  and 
an  occasional  sword-fish,  there  are  several  rather  savage 
large  fish  hereabout,  of  which  the  barracouta  is  the  worst, 
which  might  do  a  diver  much  harm.  An  acquaintance 
of  mine  was  exploring  some  coral  reefs  at  the  southern 
end  of  Florida,  when  a  barracouta  severed  the  pipe  that 
supplied  him  with  air,  and  before  he  was  brought  to  the 


Down  in  a  Diving- Bell  41 

surface  in  his  heavy  togs  he  was  a  pretty  badly  frightened 
man." 

"Isn't  the  bell  just  as  good  as  the  suit,  beside  being 
safer  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  It  is  possible  to  get  around  and  examine  a  region  more 
completely  in  a  short  time  with  the  suit,  but  the  bell  is 
better  for  close  study  in  one  particular  spot.  Then  in 
exerting  any  force,  like  moving  a  stone  or  using  a  hammer 
and  chisel  to  loosen  anything  from  a  rock,  the  bell  affords 
a  much  better  '  purchase,'  as  it  is  called.  A  man  sent 
down  in  a  diver's  suit  to  make  repairs  to  a  wharf,  wishing 
to  bore  a  hole,  must  be  tied  fast  to  something  immovable 
before  he  can  exert  pressure  sufficient  to  drive  the  auger 
into  the  wood.  Otherwise,  when  he  pushes  against  the 
auger,  he  simply  floats  away  in  the  water." 

After  a  good  siesta,  a  rest  from  labor  after  the 
noontide  meal,  that  is  much  needed  and  universally 
taken  wherever  the  tropic  sun  pours  down  its  heat,  the 
Professor  and  Ned  again  "went  below,"  to  use  a  sea-faring 
phrase. 

On  their  return  Ned  bounced  out  of  the  bell  into  the 
small-boat,  saying  :  — 

"  Oh  !  Hal,  what  do  you  think  ?  I  found  a  little  sort 
of  spongy  creature,  which  the  Professor  thinks  is  new  to 
naturalists  ;  and  if  it  is,  it  will  need  a  new  name,  and  he 
says  he  will  name  it  Edwardia,  after  me,  its  discoverer  !  " 

"Gracious,  I  guess  I'll  have  to  look  pretty  sharp  after 
lumps  of  jelly,  too,  if  I  don't  want  to  be  left  behind," 
said  Hal,  after  examining  the  queer  little  unshapen  thing 
which  Ned  brought  him  to  examine. 


42  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


Lumps  of  jelly,  as  Hal  called  them,  were  neither  so 
common  nor  so  easily  found  as  to  enable  him  to  discover 
another  kind  ;  and  as  the  Professor  explained  after  the 
bell  had  come  up  for  the  last  time,  and  Harry  had  also 
found  some  fine,  perhaps  the  finest  specimens  of  the  new 
species,  such  a  discovery  was  now  a  rare  occurrence,  so  he 
would  give  credit  to  both  the  young  submarine  divers  by 
calling  the  species  Dawsonia,  if  he  found  after  study  that 
it  required  a  new  name. 

The  labor  of  sorting  and  cleaning,  labelling  and  bottling, 
with  which  the  boys  insisted  on  helping,  was  so  consider- 
able that  the  short  tropical  twilight  was  on  them  before 
they  had  reached  the  harbor.  On  the  way  in  they  over- 
hauled and  passed  some  native  sponge  fishermen  who 
were  bound  for  the  town,  and  Ned  asked  :  — 

"Do  these  fellows  collect  sponges  with  a  diving-bell, 
Professor,  and  are  the  sponges  found   here  of   the  best 

kind?" 

"Much  of  the  collecting  is  done  here,  as  it  has  been 
in  India  and  Syria  before  historic  times,  by  divers  who. 
go  down  without  any  apparatus,  but  who  by  long  practice 
have  become  so  expert  that  they  can  refrain  from  breathing 
under  water  two  and  even  three  minutes,  and  in  that  time 
can  gather  an  armful  of  sponges.  The  Bahama  sponges 
are  rather  hard  and  somewhat  unyielding;  the  Syrian 
bring  the  highest  prices,  and  those  found  here  come  about 
fifth  or  sixth  in  the  scale." 

As  they  drew  near  the  wharves,  and  it  grew  darker,  the 
whole  harbor  around  them  took  on  a  most  beautiful  lustre 
and  glistening  sheen,  one  moment  flashing  forth  little  rays 


Down  in  a  Diving-Bell  43 

of  ruby  light,   then  pale  green,   then  dark  blue,    and  so 
throughout  the  whole  scale  of  the  rainbow. 

"  Look  at  the  water,  Doctor ;  what  in  the  world  makes 
it  so  beautiful  ?  "  asked  Harry. 

"That  is  what  is  called  the  phosphoresence  of  the  sea, 
because  in  a  way  it  reminds  one  of  the  dull  glow  of  phos- 
phorus after  dark.    The  Professor  can  best  explain  it  to  you." 

"  It  is  the  best  possible  answer  to  the  question  you  asked 
me  in  the  diving-bell  this  morning,  Edward,  when  you 
wanted  to  know  whether  the  ocean  world  was  supplied 
with  minute  life  as  was  the  fresh  water  and  the  land,"  said 
the  Professor.  "  The  beautiful  effect  which  you  now  see, 
and  which  you  will  see  everywhere  in  the  Tropics  and,  at 
certain  seasons,  in  the  northern  waters,  is  produced  by 
millions  upon  millions  of  minute  animals  known  as  infu- 
soria. The  commonest  form  of  them,  called  Noctiluca,  the 
'night  light,'  is  a  round,  jelly-like  mass,  scarcely  more 
than  one  one-hundredth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  with 
one  long  thread-like  stalk  which  it  uses  as  a  leg,  an  oar, 
or  a  rudder,  as  best  suits  its  purpose.  All  through  their 
tiny  bodies  they  have  little  light-giving  points,  which 
appear  and  disappear  with  great  rapidity,  giving  forth  the 
series  of  diamond-like  flashes,  the  effect  of  which  you  now 
see.'  It  takes  about  25,000  of  them  to  produce  this  effect 
in  one  cubic  foot  of  water,  and,  therefore,  a  square  mile 
of  this  bay,  if  they  are  but  one  foot  deep  in  the  water, 
must  contain  no  less  than  69,696,000,000  of  these  tiny 
light-givers.  Yet,  as  a  fact,  the  bay  is  probably  filled  with 
them  down  to  its  deepest  point,  and  they  may  extend  for 
hundreds  of  miles  out  to  sea." 


44  The  Butterfly  Htmters 

"  Sixty-nine  billions  of  lamps  to  the  square  mile  !  Well, 
that's  an  awful  lot,  but  I  must  confess  that  I  don't  quite 
know  how  much  it  really  is,"  said  Ned. 

"  The  way  to  deal  with  such  big  amounts  is  to  reduce 
them  to  some  easily  understood  comparison,"  the  Professor 
rejoined.  "  If  you  could  count  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred 
per  minute,  and  keep  it  going  for  ten  hours  a  day  for  every 
day  except  Sundays  and  holidays,  you  would  yet  be  count- 
ing away  at  that  number  if  you  had  started  at  the  time  of 
the  birth  of  Christ.  If  one  always  remembers  that  at 
that  rapid  rate  of  counting,  12,000  an  hour,  120,000 
a  day,  and  36,000,000  per  year,  will  be  the  result,  it  is 
always  easier  to  get  a  just  idea  of  the  vastness  of  all 
stupenduous  sums." 

"Well,  that  sort  of  thing  makes  my  head  swim," 
Harry  commented.  "  I  never  can  stand  much  arithmetic  ; 
but  that  doesn't  spoil  my  interest  in  the  wonderful  little 
creatures  that  cause  this  changeable  color  on  the  water. 
It  is  another  fact  to  make  us  boys  understand  what  a  ter- 
rible quantity  of  living  things  there  are  in  this  world  of 
which  the  most  of  us  never  have  a  thought." 

"Yes,"  the  Doctor  said,  as  he  turned  on  the  wharf 
which  they  had  now  reached,  to  shake  hands  with  the 
Professor;  "we  can  well  echo  the  words  of  the  old  Greek 
philosopher  who  said  that  'there  is  nothing  so  small  to 
the  view  but  that  it  may  become  great  by  reflection.' 
And  for  a  better  understanding  of  that,  boys,  we  have  to 
thank  Professor  Watson,  who  has  given  us  a  day  of  enjoy- 
ment that  it  will  be  hard  to  equal  anywhere  on  our  trip." 


CHAPTER   IV 


THE    FIRST    CAMP 


To  Sea  in  an  Open  Craft  —  Nature  of  the  Bahama  Isles  —  Columbus's  Inaccu- 
racy—The Camper's  Life  — Putting  up  the  Tent  — An  Ideal  Cooking 
Outfit  — A  Lucky  Find  — Senses  without  a  Head  — An  Evening  with  the 
Moths  — A  Strange  Bait  —  Four- winged  Topers  —  A  Lurking  Snake 

AFTER  a  few  days  more  at  Nassau,  mostly  spent  in 
collecting  butterflies  and  other  insects,  Dr.  Bartlett 
announced  that  he  had  made  arrangements  with  a  trader 
who  was  bound  on  a  trip  among  the  islands  in  a  small 
sloop,  to  take  the  young  naturalists  and  their  guide  with 
him,  touching  at  Watlings,  Fortune,  Great  Inagua,  Tor- 
tuga,  and  other  of  the  islands  in  turn.  So  after  a  day 
given  to  packing  for  the  trip,  expressing  some  of  their 
belongings  on  to  await  them  at  Jamaica,  and  a  box  or  two 
of  trophies  homeward  bound,  with  a  few  visits  of  farewells 
to  new-found  friends,  they  were  up  and  ready  for  an  early 
start  on  the  next  morning. 

The  craft  which  was  now  to  be  their  carrier  was  in  great 
contrast  with  the  staunch  and  shapely  ship  "  Orizaba,"  in 
which  they  made  the  first  stage  of  their  trip.  It  was  of 
only  about  seventy-five  tons'  burden,  and  a  crew  of  five 
men  besides  the  skipper  was  quite  sufficient  to  manage  it. 
Some  of  these,  as  there  were  to  be  passengers  in  the 
cabin,  where  there  were  berths  for  but  six  people,  would 
have  to  sleep  on  deck ;  but  as  they  were  all  as  black  as 

45 


46  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

Guinea  darkies  ever  got  to  be,  that  was  no  hardship  to 
them.  As  the  season  had  arrived  when  dry  weather  and 
moderate  winds  prevailed,  and  as  their  trip,  for  the  most 
part,  was  to  be  through  the  sheltered  channel  between  the 
islands,  there  was  not  much  to  fear  in  the  way  of  a  rough 
passage.  The  Doctor  told  them  that  while  such  small 
boats  often  did  much  more  pitching  and  tossing  in  a  heavy 
sea,  they  rode  over  the  waves  instead  of  "  nosing  "  through 
them,  and,  consequently,  were  usually  in  less  danger  than 
a  more  pretentious  vessel. 

"Doctor,"  said  Ned,  as  the  distant  city  began  to  fade 
from  their  view,  "  how  is  it  the  biggest  city  of  these  islands 
is  on  one  of  the  smallest  of  them?" 

"  Nassau  is  not  only  the  principal  city,  but  it  is  the  only 
one  in  all  these  islands,"  was  the  reply;  "and  it  is  where 
it  is,  simply  because  it  is  the  only  safe  deep-water  harbor 
throughout  the  entire  group.  Naturally  the  seat  of  power 
in  a  colony  must,  if  possible,  be  so  located  that  the  war- 
vessels  of  the  home  country  can  sail  in  and  aid  in  suppress- 
ing rebellion  ;  Nassau  is  at  the  only  point  where  that  is 
possible,  not  more  than  nine  feet  of  safe  water  being  in 
any  other  Bahaman  harbor. 

"The  Bahamas,  although  they  number  over  1200  sepa- 
rate islands  or  keys,  have  a  total  area  of  only  3021  square 
miles,  or  only  about  two  and  one-half  square  miles,  on  an 
average,  to  each  island,  —  not  a  very  big  farm  in  some  of 
our  Western  States.  They  are  throughout  of  one  forma- 
tion or  origin  ;  are  of  what  the  geologist  calls  calcareous 
rock,  made  from  coral  and  shell  hardened  into  limestone 
by  the  joint  action  of  the  water  and  air.     There  is  nowhere 


The  First  Camp  47 


any  trace  of  volcanic  action  or  upheaval,  as  there  is  every- 
where else  in  the  West  Indies,  but  the  whole  is  but  one 
chain  of  monuments  to  the  industry  of  the  tiny  coral  ani- 
mals. This  stone,  hard  as  granite  in  time,  is  sufficiently 
soft  to  be  cut  with  a  saw  when  at  first  exposed  to  the  air. 
You  saw  them  building  with  the  white  '  coquina '  stone  in 
Nassau,  and  cutting  it  into  shape  with  ordinary  hand  saws  ; 
that  was  the  Bahama  rock  as  first  obtained  from  the  quar- 
ries. In  a  little  while  it  hardens  from  exposure  to  the  air, 
and  in  time  becomes  a  hard  and  durable  building-stone." 

"  Aren't  there  any  mountains  or  volcanoes  in  the  Baha- 
mas ? " 

"No ;  the  highest  land  is  but  230  feet  above  the  sea,  or 
less  than  one-fourth  the  height  of  the  Eiffel  Tower  in  Paris, 
and  is  but  a  sand-heap  due  to  action  of  the  wind.  Nor  is 
there,  outside  of  one  island,  Andros,  running  water." 

The  first  landing  was  made  at  the  southern  end  of  the 
Island  of  Eluthera,  and,  as  the  trader  wished  to  sail  around 
the  island  and  make  stops  at  several  points,  which  would 
take  him  nearly  two  days,  the  Doctor  decided  that  it  would 
be  as  well  for  his  party  to  land  and  make  their  first  ac- 
quaintance with  a  camper's  life.  After  finding  a  good 
opening  in  the  coral  reef  through  which  a  boat  could 
safely  make  a  landing,  they  loaded  their  camping  outfit, 
a  small  provision  supply,  and  their  hunting  material  into 
the  small-boat,  and  were  safely  rowed  ashore  by  two  of  the 
crew.  The  point  of  their  landing  was  a  low,  uninterest- 
ing, sandy  shore,  with  stunted  vegetation  and  a  generally 
barren,  deserted  appearance. 

It  was    only  the   middle    of   the  afternoon    when    they 


48 


The  Butterfly  Hunters 


landed,  and  the  boys  wanted  to  go  off  at  once  on  an 
exploring  tramp ;  but  the  Doctor  told  them  that  it  was 
always  the  better  part  of  wisdom  to  make  camp  first, 
after    which     they    would    be    quite    independent.     His 


knowledge  of  camp  life  had  enabled  him  to  select,  while 
in  New  York,  a  very  complete  camper's  outfit,  yet  one 
that  to  the  boys  seemed  surprisingly  small.  As  he 
explained  to  them  that  it  was  always  of  first  importance 
to  provide  shelter  from  wind  and  rain,  they  first  directed 
their  attention  to  unpacking  and  putting  up  their  tent. 
This  they  were  surprised,  on  unrolling  it,  to  find  consisted 
of  nothing  but  several  large  rubber  cloth  blankets,  a  lot 
of  clothes-line,  ten  heavy,  sharp-pointed,  hollow  iron 
stakes,  about  thirty  inches  long,  and  two  hand-axes. 

"  Where  are  the  poles,  Doctor  ?  We've  forgotten 
them,"  said  Harry. 

"  There  is  a  wholesale  supply  of  them  right  over  there 
in  the  undergrowth,"  was  the  reply,  "and  I'll  appoint  you, 


The  First  Camp  49 


Hal,  a  committee  of  one  to  get  us  four  corner  posts  four 
feet  long  and  as  thick  as  your  forearm.  And  you,  Ned, 
may  take  the  other  hand-axe  and  cut  two  poles  ten  feet 
long,  and  two  eight  feet,  and  all  about  two  inches  thick ; 
while  I  stay  here  and  lay  out  the  plan  on  the  ground  and 
place  the  stakes." 

When,  in  less  than  a  half-hour,  the  boys  returned,  they 
found  that  the  Doctor  had  placed  four  of  the  iron  stakes 
in  the  ground,  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  at  the  corners 
of   a   square    (ABCD),    with   ten   feet   sides.     Five    feet 
beyond  each  of  these,  and  in  line  with  two  of  the  sides, 
he   had    placed    four   other   stakes    (EFGH),   and    other 
marks  on  the  sand  showed   that   he  was   simply  waiting 
for  the  return  of  the  boys  to  drive  these  stakes  in  as  far 
as  they  would  go  and   set  up   the   poles.     Finding   that 
they   had   selected   these   very   well,   he   drove  the   four 
corner  stakes  almost  to  their  heads  in  the  ground.     Then, 
taking  the  four  short  posts  that  Harry  had  brought,  he 
trimmed  them  so  that  they  would  drive  firmly  into  the 
tapering  holes  in  the  iron  stakes,  and  they  stood  firmly 
in  place.     Across  the  top  of  two  sets  of  these  he  placed  the 
two  ten-feet  poles  (K,  L)  that  Ned  had  brought,  notching 
them  so  that  they  fitted  in  place.     Then,  having  driven 
the  other  four  stakes  in  very  firmly,  he  drove  the  remain- 
ing two  stakes  (I,  J)  five  feet  away  from  the  other  sides  of 
the  square,  but  opposite  the  middle  instead  of  the  corners. 
Taking  the  two  eight-feet  poles  that  Ned  had  cut  (M,  N), 
he  stood  them  upright  between  the  corner  stakes  and  in 
line  with  the  two  stakes  last  driven,  and  told  the  boys  to 
hold  them  so.     To  one  of  these  last  stakes  (I)  he  attached 


5<D  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

a  piece  of  the  clothes-line  (O),  and  passing  it  tightly  over 
the  top  of  each  of  these  upright  poles,  he  carried  it  down 
to  the  other  stake  (J)  and  tied  it,  after  drawing  it  as  taut  as 
possible.  Then,  starting  at  one  of  the  four  outside  stakes 
(E),  he  fastened  a  piece  of  the  rope  (P),  passed  over  the 
nearest  corner  post  (A),  up  and  across  the  eight-feet  cen- 
tre upright  (M),  down  over  the  opposite  corner  post  (B) 
to  the  outer  stake  in  line  (H) ;  turning  here  at  right- 
angles,  he  carried  the  line  to  the  next  outer  stake  (G), 
then  again  at  right  angles,  up  over  a  corner  post  (C)  and 
the  other  eight-feet  upright  (N)  and  down  to  the  next 
corner  post  (D)  and  outer  stake  (F),  where  the  last  turn 
at  right  angles  carried  the  rope  back  to  the  point  of  start- 
ing (E).  After  it  was  firmly  tied,  he  split  open  the 
strands  of  the  rope  on  one  side,  passed  a  stick  about  two 
feet  long  between  them  and  twisted  it  around  until  it 
seemed  that  if  he  drew  the  rope  any  tighter  the  outer 
stakes  must  pop  out  of  the  ground.  But  as  they  had  been 
driven  with  their  tops  pointing  outwards  they  remained 
firm,  and  the  four  corner  posts  and  two  eight-feet  uprights 
were  practically  immovable,  so  firmly  were  they  held  by 
this  manner  of  cording. 

Now,  to  the  intense  interest  of  the  boys,  the  tent  frame 
assumed  its  shape,  and  they  were  able  to  anticipate  the 
rest  of  the  work  when  they  saw  that  the  rubber  blankets 
were  in  three  parts  and  provided  with  strings  along  their 
edges  to  tie  them  in  place.  The  biggest  of  these  was  a 
monster,  it  seemed,  when  spread  out, — ten  feet  wide  and 
twenty  feet  long.  This  they  drew  over  the  cord  last  tied 
in  place  (P),  until   it  hung  by  the  middle  over  the   first 


The  First  Camp  51 


cord  (0)  that  passed  across  the  tops  of  the  eight-feet 
centre  uprights,  with  each  side  hanging  over  the  pole 
across  the  tops  of  the  corner  posts.  To  the  bottom  of 
the  latter,  all  the  way  around  the  square,  a  cord  (R)  was 
tightly  drawn,  and  to  this  the  strings  on  the  end  of  the 
blanket  were  tied,  and  thus  the  roof  and  two  walls  were 
completed  in  one  piece.  The  front  and  back  walls,  being 
of  just  the  right  size  to  fit  those  ends,  were  soon  tied  in 
place  to  the  top  and  bottom  cords  (P  and  R),  and  then  the 
edges  of  the  roof  were  tied  down  over  them  so  as  to  make 
a  tight  joint  and  keep  out  rain.  In  one  of  these  end 
pieces  there  was  a  flap,  which  constituted  the  door,  and, 
of  course,  this  was  the  front  of  their  rapidly  built  house. 

Before  the  sides  were  finally  tied  in  place,  however,  while 
it  was  still  less  difficult  to  move  around  within,  the  Doctor 
unrolled  another  bundle,  from  which  he  took  three  pillows, 
three  large  and  very  thick  blankets,  and  what  appeared  to 
be  a  piece  of  strong  fish-netting  (S),  ten  feet  long  and  six 
feet  wide.     This  was  firmly  bound  with  rope,  and  at  each 
corner,  and  about  every  fifteen  inches  along  three  of  its 
sides,  had  strong  iron  rings.     Through  these  the  Doctor 
passed  another  rope  (T),  after  he  had  laid  the  netting  on 
the  floor  of  the  tent,  with  one  of  its  ten-feet  sides  along 
the  back  wall,  taking  care  to  pass  the  rope  around  the  out- 
side of  the  corner  posts  and  into  notches  which  he  had 
told  the  boys  to  cut  about  two  feet  from  the  ground.  Then 
by  passing  a  stick  through   the  strands  of  the   rope,  as 
already  described,  he  drew  this  netting  so  tight  that  the 
corner  posts  fairly  groaned  with  the  strain.      This  gave 
them  a  sacking,  or  bed  bottom,  at  the  back  of  the  tent,  six 


52  The  BtUterfly  Httnters 

by  ten  feet  in  extent,  allowing  each  one  of  them  a  space 
quite  the  size  of  an  ordinary  cot-bed.  The  edge  of  it 
towards  the  front  made  a  very  good  settee,  and  there  was 
a  space  left  that  was  quite  large  enough  for  them  to  stand 
up  in  if  need  be,  and  plenty  of  room  under  the  bed  to 
-stow  their  other  outfits. 

When  all  was  finished,  Ned  remarked  :  — 

"  Why,  Doctor,  you  must  expect  a  terrible  storm  to- 
night, the  way  this  is  all  tied  together,  and  everything 
is  staked  fast." 

"  No,  my  boy,  I  do  not  expect  anything  of  the  sort,  but 
I  thought  it  was  better  for  you  to  learn  how  to  put  this 
tent  together  in  the  firmest  possible  way  while  you  had 
plenty  of  time  and  pleasant  weather  to  do  it  in.  I  know 
how  hard  it  is  to  hurry  fast  enough  at  such  work  when  a 
storm  is  coming  up,  when  every  one  understands  his  work, 
and  I  don't  want  to  be  caught  that  way  some  day  with 
neither  of  you  acquainted  with  the  work.  To-night  we 
would,  judging  by  the  clouds  and  the  time  of  year,  have 
been  quite  safe  in  rolling  up  in  our  blankets  on  the  dry 
sand,  or  in  throwing  together  a  rough  shed  of  poles  and 
thatch-palm  leaves." 

"  Can't  campers  make  a  good,  strong  shelter  in  that 
way  ?  I  have  often  read  about  that  as  the  way  followed 
by  hunters  and  explorers." 

"  Yes  and  no,"  was  the  reply.  "  If  you  are  in  a  dense 
wood,  or  on  the  safe  side  of  a  hill,  where  a  high  wind 
cannot  reach  you,  such  a  tent  will  do  ;  but  even  such  a 
roped-down  covering  as  this  we  have  here  is  sorely  tried  in 
a  very  heavy  wind,  and  a  severe  West  Indian  hurricane 


The  First  Camp  53 


would  tear  it  all  to  tatters.  But  it  is  as  safe  as  anything 
that  can  be  made,  holding  its  own  against  a  violent  tornado 
better  than  a  frame  house  will,  owing  to  the  yielding 
nature  of  the  rope  braces." 

Having  provided  themselves  with  shelter  and  beds  for 
the  night,  the  next  task,  the  Doctor  told  them,  was  to  un- 
pack the  cooking-outfit  and  prepare  a  meal.     As  the  boys 
said,  it  did  not  seem  as  if  the  little  oblong  sheet-iron  box, 
only  eighteen  inches  long,  and  a  foot  wide,  and  a  foot  high, 
could  possibly  hold  all  that  was  required  for   a  camper's 
kitchen.     But  when  they  saw  it  unpacked,  and  saw  how 
every  inch  of  its  space  had  been  utilized,  they  realized  that 
it  was  quite  sufficient  to  contain  all  that  they  could  pos- 
sibly need.     The  box  itself  was  tin-lined,  and  was  made  to 
be  used  as  a  clothes-boiler  in  case  any  washing  had  to  be 
done  in  camp.     In  one  end  of  it  was  fitted  a  nest  of  square 
iron  pans,  fitting  one  in  the  other,  and  at  the  other  a  nest 
of  round  copper  saucepans  with  detachable  handles.     A 
square  canister  held  all  manner  of  spices,  flavorings,  sea- 
sonings, baking-powder,  soap  powder,  etc.  ;  while  another 
had  a  complete  outfit  of  such  medicines  and  accessories  as 
the  ordinary  ailments  called  for.     A  large  tin  cup  was  the 
nest  in  which  four  others  of  decreasing  sizes  lodged,  while 
a  coffee-pot  of  ample  size  held  a  little  alcohol  lamp  for  use 
in  cases  of  emergency.      Knives,  forks,  spoons,  toasting 
and  broiling  irons,  a  strainer,  and  a  host  of  smaller  articles 
too  numerous  to  mention,  completed  this  wonderfully  com- 
plete and  compact  cook's  outfit. 

By  the  time  this  unpacking  was  finished  it  was  nearly 
five  o'clock,  and  the  Doctor  said  that,   as   they  did    not 


54  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


need   to   begin   to   cook  supper  for   a  half-hour   yet,  the 
boys  could  hunt  around  a  little  while,  while  he  gathered 
some  dry  drift  wood  for  the  fire.     The  boys,  eager  to  see 
what  was  beyond  them  around  the   point   of  the    island, 
started  in  that  direction  at  a  brisk  walk.     But  they  had 
not  gone  long,  for  the  Doctor  had  not  more  than  gathered 
enough  firewood,  before  he  heard  Harry's  voice  calling  :  — 
"  See  here,  Doctor,   what   we   have  found.     Isn't   this 
good  to  eat  ? "     At   the   same  time  both  the  boys  came 
towards  him  as  hastily  as  they  could  carry  a  large  canned 
tomato  box   between   them.     The  Doctor,  thinking   that 
they  had  found  a   box  that  had  been   lost  overboard   by 
some  passing  steamer  and  that  it  might  yet  contain  one  or 
two  cans,  was  inclined  to  smile  at  their  eagerness  until  he 
got  a  look  at  its  contents,  when  he  was  much  surprised  and 
delighted. 

"Hello,  boys;  that's  a  first-class  find,  and  just  in  time 
to  make  us  a  delightful  meal,"  he  said,  as  they  turned  the 
box  over,  and  a  good-sized  snapping-turtle  fell  out,  which 
no  sooner  felt  the  sand  under  it  than  it  put  off  for  the 
water. 

Ned  jumped  in  front  of  their  escaping  dinner  and  turned 
him  over  on  his  back  quickly  with  his  foot,  while  the 
Doctor  picked  up  one  of  the  hand-axes  and  at  one  blow  cut 
its  head  off.  When  the  Doctor  turned  the  creature  over 
it  started,  much  to  their  surprise,  at  once  for  the  water 
again,  although  the  head  had  been  off  several  minutes,  and 
even  when  it  was  carried  some  paces  further  inland  and 
put  down  pointing  towards  the  interior,  it  quickly  turned 
about  and  headed  for  the  water. 


X 

o 


-I 


The  First  Camp  55 


"  How  can  the  poor  creature  go  on  living  without  a 
head,  and  how  does  it  know  with  its  ears,  nose,  and  eyes 
gone,  where  the  water  is  ?  I  didn't  know  that  such  a  thing 
was  possible,"  said  Ned. 

"  In  all  reptiles  and  their  cousins,  the  frogs,  lizards,  and 
the  turtle  kind,  there  is  a  remarkable  amount  of  vitality, 
life,  and  muscular  activity,  often  remaining  for  several 
hours  after  the  brain  is  severed  from  the  body.  What  you 
have  just  seen  is  not  unusual,  and  even  more  remarkable 
displays  of  this  power  have  been  observed  of  some  of  the 
lizard  tribe.  But  such  experiments  are  cruel  and  can  only 
be  excused  on  the  plea  of  getting  necessary  food."  So 
saying,  the  Doctor  passed  a  knife  into  the  still  living 
turtle  in  such  a  way  as  to  pierce  the  heart,  and  in  an 
instant  its  struggles  were  over. 

The  Doctor  then  showed  the  boys  how  to  clean  and  cut 
up  the  turtle,  from  which  he  extracted  several  pounds  of 
clear,  rich  meat,  while  Ned  was  cleaning  out  and  washing 
the  upper  shell  under  his  directions.  The  latter  was  then 
placed  on  the  edge  of  the  undergrowth  where  it  was  sure 
to  attract  the  attention  of  passing  ants,  which,  the  Doctor 
explained,  were  the  best  cleaners  and  scourers  that  could 
be  employed  for  the  purpose. 

"  Well,  boys,"  the  Doctor  exclaimed,  as  the  rich,  appetiz- 
ing odor  of  the  stewing  snapper  made  itself  known  to 
them,  "this  was  a  streak  of  good  fortune,  sure  enough. 
Do  you  know  that  there  are  hundreds  of  people  in  New 
York  to-night  who  would  gladly  give  a  five-dollar  bill  for 
that  panful  of  stewed  snapper  ?  I  had  no  idea  that  we 
should  begin  our  camping  experience  in  such  a  luxurious 


56  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

way,  or  I  would  not  have  brought  those  cans  of  prepared 
soup  and  potted  game." 

After  they  had  made  a  hearty  meal  and  had  sat  resting 
and  talking  for  an  hour  in  the  gathering  darkness,  the 
Doctor  said, 

"  How  tired  are  you,  boys  ?  Do  you  feel  too  worn  out 
with  tent-building  and  turtle-catching  to  give  an  hour  or 
two  to  making  your  first  acquaintance  with  tropical  moths 
by  night  ?" 

There  was  little  excuse  for  asking  the  question,  as  the 
Doctor  well  knew ;  for  the  young  naturalists  were  not  of 
the  stuff  that  tires  over  such  exertions,  nor  were  they 
likely  to  confess  to  being  tired  when  there  was  such  an 
unusual  proposition  as  the  present  made  to  them.  Eagerly 
they  began  to  gather  together  their  nets  and  poison-bottles, 
while  the  Doctor  took  from  his  belongings  a  small  bull's- 
eye  lantern,  and  from  their  provision  outfit  a  bottle  of  beer 
and  one  of  molasses.  Holding  up  the  former,  he  said, 
laughingly, 

"  I  hope  you  won't  think  that  I  am  going  to  encourage 
the  beer  habit  in  you  ;  on  the  other  hand,  I  am  going  to 
give  you  an  illustration  of  how  it  may,  in  certain  cases, 
lead  to  downfall  and  death.  If  we  were  to  go  out  to-night 
into  the  woods  over  there,  depending  on  nothing  but  our 
eyes  to  detect  an  occasional  passing  moth,  and  with  only 
our  nets  to  capture  them,  I  think  we  should  deserve  credit 
if  we  brought  in  one  specimen  apiece." 

"I  was  just  going  to  say  that  I  didn't  see  how  we  were 
going  to  catch  anything  without  a  powerful  lantern  to 
attract   them    when    I    saw   you    unpack    that    bull's-eye. 


The  First  Camp  57 


What  are  you  doing,  Doctor  ?  What  in  the  world  are 
you  trying  to  make?"  Harry  added,  as  he  noticed  the 
Doctor  mixing  some  of  the  beer  in  a  tin  cup  with  some 
molasses  and  adding  some  alcohol. 

"  I  am  making  a  much  better  magnet  to  attract  the 
treasures  we  covet  than  my  bull's-eye  lantern,  as  you  will 
presently  see,"  was  the  reply. 

After  the  Doctor  finished  mixing  his  "  stomach-ache 
medicine,"  as  Hal  called  it,  and  the  boys  had  the  rest 
of  the  outfit  together,  they  started  for  the  woods.  This 
was  a  fringe  of  rather  stunted  logwood,  iron-wood,  cedar 
and  other  trees,  growing  in  the  hollows  or  valleys  between 
the  sand  ridges  formed  by  the  action  of  the  nearly  con- 
stant sea-breeze.  Here  and  there,  where  some  extra  high 
sand  dune  protected  it  from  the  wind,  there  was  a  tree 
larger  than  its  fellows,  and  on  the  sides  of  these  away 
from  the  wind,  the  Doctor  stopped  to  put  on  a  liberal 
coating  of  his  mixture  with  a  paint  brush.  This  was  slow 
work,  for  it  had  now  grown  quite  dark,  and  the  underbrush 
was  so  densely  matted  together,  and  there  were  so  many 
places  where  creeping  vines  made  stumbling  likely,  that 
the  Doctor  had  to  go  ahead  with  the  lantern  and  a  cutlass 
to  clear  the  way.  After  they  had  thus  visited  six  or  eight 
trees  he  said, 

"  Now  let's  go  back  to  the  first  tree  and  see  what  there 
is  there  to  interest  us  by  this  time.  If  I  am  not  much 
mistaken  in  the  night  and  the  locality,  we  ought  to  find 
good  proof  that  it  is  not  always  men  who  are  lured  by 
alcoholic  stimulants  to  their  ruin." 

"  You  don't  mean  that   that  stomach-ache  medicine  is 


58  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


likely  to  attract  moths,  do  you  ?  How  would  they  know 
so  soon  that  it  was  there  ?  Will  they  feed  on  that  mess  ? " 
queried  Harry. 

"The  mess,  as  you  call  it,"  the  Doctor  answered,  "  not 
only  attracts  them  and  is  a  favorite  food,  once  they  scent 
it,  but  it  is  so  attractive  that  it  is  pretty  well  known  that 
they  are  able  to  scent  it  for  long  distances  ;  perhaps  a  mile 
or  more  with  a  fair  breeze,  such  as  we  have  now.  Here 
we  are  at  our  starting-point,  and  you  can  soon  see  what 
the  mixture  will  do.  However,  it  is  just  as  well  to  tell 
you  beforehand  that  if  the  wind  is  not  quite  right,  or  there 
are  in  the  neighborhood  any  quantity  of  sweet-scented 
flowers,  we  may  not  have  very  good  fortune." 

The  wind  and  other  requirements  evidently  were  favor- 
able ;  for  when  they  arrived  in  front  of  the  tree,  and  the 
Doctor  threw  the  light  of  the  bull's-eye  full  on  the  beer- 
painted  space,  the  boys  were  electrified  to  see  gathered 
around  it,  or  even  in  it,  a  host  of  beetles,  bugs,  and  ants, 
with  perhaps  a  dozen  moths  of  various  sizes,  sipping  the 
sweet  mixture  with  their  long  tongues.  The  young  hunters 
were  for  making  a  dash  at  this  collection  of  coveted  trophies, 
but  the  Doctor  cautioned  them  with  these  words  :  — 

"  Take  care,  boys  ;  they  won't  fly  away.  They  are  too 
fond  of  that  drink  and  already  feel  the  effect  of  the  alcohol. 
All  you  need  to  do  is  to  walk  up  to  the  tree,  put  your 
poison-bottle  over  the  insect  you  want  and  then  wait  a 
moment  until  the  fumes  overpower  it,  when  you  can  easily 
shake  it  into  the  bottle  and  put  on  the  cork.  Those  fine 
big  fellows,  you  will  find,  will  allow  you  to  lift  them  gently 
up  by  the  bodies,  so  intent  are  they  on  more  of  this  toddy, 


The  First  Camp  59 


and  they  can  be  put  in  the  chloroform  box.  The  beetles 
and  smaller  fry  can,  one  by  one,  be  knocked  into  your 
alcohol  bottles.  You  do  not  need  to  use  your  nets  unless 
a  new  moth  comes  flying  around  while  we  are  here." 

Following  the  Doctor's  advice,  the  boys  soon  had  over 
a  dozen  fine  moths,  one  of  them  nine  inches  across  the 
wings,  and  a  countless  lot  of  other  insects  in  their  bottles, 
and  it  was  with  the  greatest  eagerness  that  they  pushed 
forward  to  the  next  tree,  anxious  to  see  whether  anything 
not  at  the  first  awaited  them.  But  they  were  hardly  pre- 
pared for  the  surprise  that  came. 

"  Look  out  !  Look  out  !  Hal,"  Ned  shouted,  as  Harry 
stepped  forward,  with  his  poison-bottle  open,  just  as  the 
Doctor  threw  the  light  on  the  beer  patch  on  the  tree. 
"There  !  There,  on  the  limb,  just  in  the  shadow  ;  a  mon- 
ster snake  !  " 

Hal,  on  whom  his  brother's  frightened  tones  had  already 
made  sufficient  impression  to  cause  him  to  step  back 
quickly,  at  the  word  "  snake  "  jumped  back  some  distance  ; 
while  the  Doctor,  throwing  the  light  where  Ned  directed, 
stepped  forward  cautiously,  changing  the  lantern  from  his 
right  to  his  left  hand  as  he  did  so.  Then  making  his  last 
movements  very  stealthily,  he  slowly  advanced  on  the 
snake,  and,  before  the  boys  could  imagine  what  he  was 
going  to  do,  in  an  instant  the  snake  was  dangling  from  his 
right  hand  which  was  tightly  gripped  around  its  slimy 
body  just  behind  the  swelled  and  gaping  head.  The 
boys  were  too  startled  to  speak,  at  first,  and  before  they 
could  do  so,  the  Doctor  assured  them  of  the  absence  of 
danger. 


60  The  Butterfly  Hitnters 

"  This  is  a  perfectly  harmless  snake,  as  are  most  of  those 
found  in  these  islands.  It  is  closely  related  to  the  big 
"  pine-snake  "  of  our  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  woods, 
and,  while  it  can  squeeze  pretty  hard,  is  thoroughly  non- 
poisonous  for  the  very  simple  reason  that  it  has  no  fangs 
or  poison-teeth.  If  you  will  come  closer  here,  and  one  of 
you  hold  the  lantern  while  I  hold  its  mouth  open  with  a 
lead-pencil,  you  will  see  that  its  mouth  is  only  provided 
with  rows  of  small  delicate  teeth,  with  which  it  can  hold  a 
rat  or  toad,  but  there  is  no  sign  of  fangs,  which,  were  they 
there,  would  protrude  from  the  upper  row  of  teeth  when 
its  jaws  are  thus  forced  apart.  As  it  is  preparing  to  give 
my  arm  a  good  squeezing,  I  will  let  it  go,  now  ;  but  first  I 
want  you  to  notice  its  long,  tapering  tail.  It  is  a  very 
safe  rule  to  follow  that  such  tails  denote  in  America  a 
non-poisonous  snake,  while  a  blunt  or  abrupt  end  to  a 
snake's  tail  nearly  always  means  that  it  is  of  a  dangerous 
kind." 

"  Why  don't  you  kill  it,  anyhow,  Doctor  ?  "  said  Ned.  "  I 
can't  say  that  I  ever  like  snakes  around,  even  if  they  are 
harmless." 

"  As  a  rule,  it  is  always  best  to  destroy  as  few  of  Nature's 
works  as  possible.  What  is  known  as  the  'balance  of  Nature' 
is  not  to  be  trifled  with  ;  for  these  creatures  all  have  their 
uses,  and  unless  positively  hurtful  or  injurious  to  man  had 
better  be  left  unmolested,  save  so  far  as  the  needs  of 
museums  and  students  require  the  death  of  a  few  of  each 
sort.  Then,  too,  we  insect  hunters  ought  always  to  con- 
sider snakes  our  allies.  They  feed  on  our  worst  enemies, 
the  lizards  and  toads,  who  in  a  night  devour  more   rare 


The  First  Camp  61 

and  valuable  insects  than  all  collectors  will  take  in  a  gener- 
ation." 

So  saying,  he  dropped  the  snake,  which  quickly  disap- 
peared in  the  bushes,  and  they  all  resumed  their  attentions 
to  the  second  tree.  Here,  also,  they  found  a  store  of  living 
treasures  waiting  to  be  caught,  and  at  each  tree  they  found 
something  new  or  surprising  to  interest  them.  So  much 
was  this  so,  that  they  could  hardly  believe  it  when  the 
Doctor  announced  that  it  was  after  ten  o'clock  and  high 
time  that  all  respectable  campers  were  in  their  tents. 


CHAPTER  V 

COLUMBUS  AND  HIS  LANDFALL 

Foraging  for  Breakfast  —  Picking  Oysters  from  Bushes  —  Wholesale  Fishing 
— An  Abandoned  Garden  —  The  Danger  of  Poisonous  Pests  —  A  Sumptu- 
ous Lunch  —  The  Preservation  of  Insects  —  Flamingoes  —  Imaginative 
Historians  —  Columbus's  Character  —  Which  is  the  "  Landfall "  ?  —  Indian 
Slavery  —  Columbus's  Untruthfulness 

NOTWITHSTANDING  their  late  hours  the  night 
before,  the  boys  were  up  soon  after  sunrise,  and 
when  the  Doctor  came  from  the  tent,  he  found  the  fire 
already  started  and  plenty  of  wood  on  hand  for  the  break- 
fast cooking.  He  proposed,  however,  that  instead  of  an 
early  breakfast  they  walk  along  the  beach  and  get  a  look 
at  the  early  morning  life  and  add  a  zest  to  their  appetites. 

"That  suits  me  first  rate,"  Hal  replied;  "but  I  feel 
already  as  though  I  could  eat  an  elephant." 

"All  right,  then,  we'll  have  to  catch  two  elephants  for 
the  lad,"  retorted  Ned.  "  Let's  see  whether  we  can't  find 
our  breakfast  in  true  explorers'  style,  just  as  we  did  last 
night,  and  not  have  to  depend  on  those  cans  of  stuff  from 
New  York  that  anybody  can  have." 

The  tide  was  going  out,  and  the  hard,  firm  beach  made 
a  delightful  pavement.  On  this  they  found  many  speci- 
mens of  two  kinds  of  tiger-beetles  new  to  them,  several 
queer  sea-shells,  and  some  tiny  crabs  and  jelly-fish.     The 

former  they  collected,  but  with  the  latter  two  they  con- 

62 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  63 

tented  themselves  with  mere  examination,  as  the  Doctor 
told  them  they  could  find  plenty  of  the  same  things  at  the 
island  of  Great  Inagua,  where  they  would  soon  be,  and 
from  which  point  they  could  conveniently  ship  their  tro- 
phies home.  Further  along  they  came  across  an  inlet  run- 
ning back  into  the  island,  along  the  sides  of  which  the 
mangrove  bushes  or  trees  grew  down  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  showed  plainly  that  they  stood  deep  in  the  water  at 
high  tide.  Taking  off  his  shoes  and  stockings,  and  rolling 
up  his  trousers,  the  Doctor  waded  into  the  shoal  water  and 
began  to  break  off  knotty  lumps  and  pieces  of  the  very 
rough  bark,  as  they  seemed  to  be,  and  put  them  in  a  bas- 
ket he  had  brought  along. 

"  What  are  you  getting  there,  Doctor  ? "  asked  Harry, 
as  the  boys  came  up  after  a  long  chase  after  a  particularly 
large  dragon-fly  which  was  out  in  search  of  an  early  morn- 
ing meal. 

"  Oh,  I'm  getting  some  excellent  eatables.  You  young 
men  probably  don't  know  that  in  this  part  of  the  world 
the  oysters  grow  on  trees." 

" Oysters  on  trees!  Really,  Doctor,  that  is  one  too 
much !  I  know  that  they  have  bread-fruit,  cocoanut  milk, 
cacao  butter,  and  I  have  heard,  too,  of  vegetable  eggs  and 
of  the  oyster-plant  of  our  own  garden,  but  that  real  oysters 
are  vegetables  down  here  is  beyond  me,  I  confess,"  said 
Ned. 

"  No,  not  vegetables,  but  simply  growing  fast  to  these 
mangroves.  The  oyster  is  a  high-water  feeder  who  does 
not  mind  being  high  and  dry  at  low  tide,  and  hereabouts 
he  attaches  himself  to  these  bushes   in   these   clusters." 


64  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

Tossing  one  of  the  big  knotty  masses  on  the  beach  as  he 
spoke,  the  Doctor  continued  :  "  If  you  examine  that  lump, 
you  will  see  that  it  consists  of  seven  or  eight  very  small 
oysters  with  their  shells  firmly  grown  together.  They  are 
tiny  compared  with  some  of  our  large  kinds,  but  they  are 
like  our  famed  '  Blue  Points '  in  flavor,  and  will  make  us 
a  delightful  lunch." 

"  What  about  breakfast  ?  Where  are  those  two  ele- 
phants ?  my  stomach  is  beginning  to  ask,"  said  Harry. 

"Well,  what  have  you  boys  been  catching  all  this 
time?"  the  Doctor  asked,  as  he  waded  out  and  began  look- 
ing over  their  captures.  "  Tiger-beetles,  some  half-grown 
grasshoppers,  and  a  fine  dragon-fly,  eh !  What  kind  of  a 
breakfast  do  you  think  they  would  make  ?  Not  much,  I 
guess.  How  would  you  like  some  nice  yellow  perch  for 
breakfast  ?" 

"  That  sounds  something  like  it ;  but  we  ought  to  have 
them  pretty  soon  now,  judging  from  the  way  I  feel,"  said 
Harry,  while  Ned  laughingly  added  that  Hal's  symptoms 
were  his  also. 

"  Well,  catch  me  a  half-dozen  young  grasshoppers  while 
I  fix  this  line,"  the  Doctor  repljed,  as  he  took  from  his 
pocket  a  long  fishing-line  with  a  heavy  lead  sinker  at  the 
end,  and,  some  distance  above  it,  five  short  side-lines  of 
horsehair  with  cork  floats,  and  hooks  at  the  end  of  each. 
Putting  a  grasshopper  on  each  hook,  he  threw  the  sinker 
well  into  the  middle  of  the  inlet  by  first  twirling  it  around 
his  head  and  then  releasing  it  so  that  the  momentum 
would  carry  it  far.  This  arrangement  placed  five  kicking 
grasshoppers  on  the  surface  of  the  water  about  four  feet 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  65 


apart,  but  almost  as  soon  as  the  boys  had  observed  this, 
there  was  a  flash  in  the  air  near  one  of  the  corks,  then  an- 
other, and  another,  and  the  Doctor  began  hauling  in  the 
line.  Much  to  the  surprise  of  the  boys,  who  were  used  to 
sitting  by  the  half -hour  "with  nary  a  bite,"  as  Ned  said, 
there  were  four  fine  fish,  ranging  from  eight  to  thirteen 
inches  long,  on  the  hooks,  and  the  remaining  hook  was 
bare.  This  performance  repeated  twice  added  five  more 
fish  to  their  supply,  making  three  good  pan-fish  to  each 
one  of  them,  and  much  elated  they  started  home  at  a  good 
pace.  On  the  way  back  the  Doctor  explained  to  them  that 
while  he  had  called  these  yellow  perches,  he  had  only 
done  so  because  they  were  most  like  that  northern  fish, 
and  the  boys  would  not  know  them  by  their  Bahama  name. 
The  ease  with  which  they  were  caught  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  in  all  probability  that  inlet  had  not  been  fished  in  a 
half-dozen  times  in  the  past  ten  years,  so  sparse  was  the 
population  thereabouts. 

While  they  were  all  busy  washing  up  the  breakfast 
dishes  and  talking  over  their  recent  experiences,  Ned 
said  :  — 

"  On  the  way  back  to  camp  this  morning  I  saw  a  place 
where  there  was  a  big  lot  of  wild  flowers,  some  very  beau- 
tiful ones,  growing  together.  I  should  think  that  ought 
to  be  a  good  place  for  butterfly  collecting,  this  morning. 
What  do  you  think,  Doctor?" 

"  I  noticed  that  place.  I  think  it  must  be  the  site  of  some 
abandoned  house,  for  some  of  the  flowers  there  are  not 
native ;  that  is,  they  are  wild  now,  but  they  have  originally 
been  brought  from  other  lands.     You  have  observed  that 


66  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


the  natives  are  fond  of  flower  gardens  ;  I  imagine  that 
some  one  has  had  a  cabin  here.  It  does  not  take  long  in 
this  tropical  climate  for  a  bamboo  hut  to  fall  to  pieces, 
and  vines  and  bushes  to  cover  the  ruins  from  sight,  nor 
does  it  take  long  for  introduced  plants  to  become  wild. 
Anyhow,  it  will  be  a  good  collecting  field,  I  should  say." 

Soon  they  were  at  the  collecting  spot,  which  proved,  by 
the  presence  of  several  upright  posts  densely  covered  with 
vines,  to  be  an  abandoned  home,  as  the  Doctor  surmised. 
Petunias  of  several  shades,  lilies  of  various  kinds,  pinks, 
roses,  and  a  number  of  plants  quite  new  to  the  boys,  were 
mixed  in  a  wild  profusion  of  vines  and  creepers  that 
showed  by  their  overbearing  wildness  that  they,  at  least, 
were  natives  here.  And  over  all  this  tangle  of  vegetable 
loveliness  hovered  and  soared  butterflies  of  a  score  of 
species.  Here  floated,  lazily,  great  Papilios,  their  velvety 
black  wings  and  golden  bands  making  them  seem  the  uni- 
formed officers  of  the  host.  Everywhere  darted  lemon 
and  honey-yellow  butterflies  of  smaller  sizes,  acting  as 
orderlies  taking  messages  for  their  generals  ;  while  a  host 
of  blue  and  azure  and  red  and  brown  ones  were  intent  on 
gathering  honey  or  playing  at  mad  games  of  tag.  This 
sight  was  too  much  for  the  boys,  and  with  gasps  of  delight 
they  each  darted  for  the  spot  with  uplifted  nets. 

"Hold  on,  boys,  hold  on!"  cried  the  Doctor.  "Be- 
fore you  rush  in  there  so  bravely,  I  want  to  utter  a  few 
words  of  warning.  Odd  as  it  may  seem,  the  neighborhood 
of  an  abandoned  house  is  always  extra  dangerous  in  the 
tropics.  In  the  first  place,  the  decaying  wood  of  the  house 
is  most  attractive  to  centipedes    and   scorpions,    both    of 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  67 


which  are  much  more  poisonous  than  any  hornets  with 
which  you  are  acquainted.  Tarantulas  or  trap-door  spiders 
are  always  fond  of  garden  spots,  and  a  hot,  open  space  in 
the  surrounding  growth,  such  as  this  is,  is  especially 
likely  to  attract  coral  snakes.  Last  night  I  told  you  there 
were  but  few  poisonous  snakes  in  the  Bahamas,  and  so 
there  are.  However,  an  occasional  coral  snake  of  moderate 
size  is  found  here  just  as  it  is  in  Florida;  but  we  are 
not  in  danger  of  the  rattlers  that  are  so  dangerous  in  that 
State. 

"  Either  a  scorpion  or  centipede  would  put  you  on  the  sick 
list  for  at  least  twenty-four  hours,  and  a  tarantula  might,  if 
a  good-sized  one,  make  it  three  days.  But  a  coral  snake 
would  do  even  worse ;  and  it  might,  although  it  is  quite 
unlikely,  end  fatally,  if  a  large  female  snake  bit  either  of 
you.  Coral  snakes  are  bright  red  and  easily  seen  ;  they 
are,  also,  sufficiently  cowardly  to  get  out  of  the  way,  if  not 
surprised  while  asleep.  Now  be  careful  where  you  stoop 
down  to  pick  up  things  from  the  ground,  and  come  at 
once  to  me  if  stung  even  by  a  bee,  as  I  am  well  prepared 
for  emergencies." 

Perhaps  the  boys  seemed  cautious  at  first,  but  the  ap- 
pearance soon  wore  off;  for  they  were  so  surrounded  by 
coveted  treasures  of  the  insect  world,  most  of  which  were 
entirely  new  to  them,  that  they  forgot  in  a  little  while  all 
about  the  Doctor's  cautioning  words.  This  had  no  bad 
result,  however;  for  when  noon  arrived,  and  the  Doctor 
told  them  of  the  hour,  they  came  from  their  labors  only 
the  worse  for  the  heat  and  muscular  effort. 

"  Doctor,  where  were  all  those  snakes  and   tarantulas, 


68  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


hobgoblins  and  other  bugaboos  you  told  us  about  ?  I 
didn't  see  anything  worse  than  some  mighty  big  hornets ; 
did  you,  Hal  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

Without  a  word,  but  beckoning  the  boys  to  follow,  the 
Doctor  walked  to  where  the  crumbling  door-sill  and  step 
were  still  lying,  and  quickly  turning  the  latter  over  ex- 
posed to  view  a  half-dozen  or  more  scorpions  of  various 
sizes  and  two  or  three  big,  hard-bodied  "Thousand-leg- 
gars,"  or  millipedsy  curled  up  in  the  rotting  wood-earth. 

"Well!  if  that  don't  beat  the  Dutch!"  exclaimed 
Harry.  "  Oh,  Ned,  look  at  that  biggest  scorpion  !  It's 
got  about  fifty  little  ones  on  its  back." 

"  Yes,"  commented  the  Doctor,  as  he  struck  one  after 
the  other  of  the  ugly  creatures  a  blow  with  a  stick,  "  that 
is  the  ordinary  way  adopted  by  the  mother  scorpion  for 
protecting  and  carrying  around  her  large  family  of  baby 
scorpions."  So  saying,  he  deftly  placed  his  butterfly  net 
under  her  and  lifted  the  whole  colony,  after  which  he 
quickly  walked  down  to  the  water's  edge  and  held  the  net 
under  the  surface  until  all  were  drowned. 

"  I  thought  you  told  us  not  to  take  life  unnecessarily, 
Doctor." 

"  So  I  did ;  but  this  is  a  case  of  necessity,  if  we  would 
go  back  there  in  safety.  Scorpions  are  sure  to  abandon 
a  retreat  that  has  been  uncovered,  and  these  might  have 
scattered  around  that  garden.  Besides  that,  what  I  said 
last  night  was  not  intended  to  apply  to  those  creatures 
capable  of  doing  man  serious  injury  or  harm." 

For  lunch  they  had  oyster  soup,  a  fish  salad  made  from 
the   remains    of   their    breakfast,    and    some    wild    celery, 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  69 


gathered  near  by,  and  a  famous  dish  of  fried  oysters,  a 
meal  that  was  hard  to  beat  anywhere,  as  Ned  said,  and 
one  that  convinced  them  that  the  Doctor  was  as  good  a 
cook  as  he  was  a  naturalist  and  a  guide.  Such  a  meal 
was  bound  to  be  hearty  after  their  morning's  work,  and 
the  Doctor  told  them  that  it  would  be  much  better  to  "  take 
it  easy"  after  lunch,  and  spend  the  heat  of  the  early  after- 
noon preparing  and  labelling  their  captures,  and  lolling 
around.  Their  tent  was  so  constructed  that  they  could 
soon  untie  the  bottom  strings  and  throw  all  four  of  the 
side  flaps  up  on  the  roof,  so  as  to  turn  it  into  an  awning, 
under  which  the  wind  had  full  sweep,  and  where  they 
could  work  or  loll  in  comfort. 

While  butterfly  hunting  was  their  chief  natural  history 
pursuit,  the  boys  had  readily  fallen  in  with  a  proposition, 
made  by  the  Doctor,  that  they  should  collect  in  all  depart- 
ments of  animal  life,  the  specimens  of  which  could  be 
easily  transported  and  easily  sold  to  museums  or  col- 
lectors in  the  United  States  and  Europe.  In  this  way,  as 
he  explained,  they  would  get  a  much  more  complete  idea 
of  nature,  derive  much  more  benefit  and  interest  from 
their  trip,  and  also  be  able  to  contribute  a  considerable 
amount  towards  their  expenses.  They  could  keep  one 
set  of  all  the  specimens  collected,  thereby  establishing  a  fine 
foundation  for  a  private  museum  of  their  own,  and  the  Doc- 
tor would  attend  to  selling  all  the  extra  material  for  them. 
This  plan  pleased  the  boys  greatly,  and  all  insect  life,  all 
rare  or  beautiful  birds,  rare  reptiles,  lizards,  fish,  and  all 
manner  of  sea  life,  it  had  been  decided  they  should  gather, 
while  not  forgetting  to  keep  an  eye  open  for  any  rare 


yo  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


animals  that  might  be  around.  Therefore,  their  morning's 
captures  represented  all  seven  of  the  orders  of  insects, 
three  lizards,  and  a  lot  of  spiders  that  the  Doctor  had 
caught. 

Beetles  and  some  bugs  they  put  in  alcohol  vials,  keep- 
ing them  separate,  and  carefully  labelling  each  vial  with 
date  and  place  of  capture.  Grasshoppers,  some  of  the 
bugs,  —  such  as  tree-hoppers,  plant-lice,  and  others  likely 
to  be  spoiled  in  alcohol, — they  packed  carefully  in  little 
tin  boxes  full  of  dried  sawdust,  sealing  them  up  with  wax 
when  full.  Wasps,  bees,  flies,  and  very  large  bugs  they 
mounted  on  pins  especially  made  for  that  purpose,  and 
pinned  into  tight  tin  boxes  with  cork-lined  bottoms  which, 
when  full,  were  also  sealed  up.  While  butterflies,  all 
moths  over  an  inch  across  the  wings,  and  dragon-flies  they 
folded  in  triangular  pieces  of  paper  and  packed  away  care- 
fully in  tin  boxes,  labelling  each  box  with  date  and  place 
of  capture.  The  smallest  moths  they  carefully  did  up  in 
little  cones  of  paper,  and  packed  away  in  boxes  filled  loosely 
with  sawdust  or  cork  chips.  All  these  boxes  were  of  tin, 
so  that  white  ants  and  other  pests  could  not  eat  through 
them  and  destroy  their  contents,  as  they  would  quickly  do 
if  the  boxes  were  of  wood.  As  a  further  precaution 
against  the  entrance  of  pests  while  the  boxes  were  yet 
unsealed,  naphthalin  or  "tar-camphor"  was  kept  in  them 
in  liberal  quantities.  Lizards  and  spiders  were  kept  in 
alcohol  jars. 

After  all  this  was  finished  it  was  after  half-past  three, 
and  the  Doctor  said  a  half  or  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
given  to  a  nap  on  their  hammock-bed  would  be  a  good 


Cohtmbus  and  his  Landfall  71 


investment  of  time.  After  this  siesta  they  decided  to  take 
their  guns  and  see  what  they  could  do  towards  providing 
something  good  for  supper,  and  at  the  same  time  keep 
a  lookout  for  any  valuable  birds  that  might  be  around. 
With  this  in  view  they  struck  off  into  the  undergrowth 
along  the  dried  bed  of  what  was  evidently  a  stream  of 
some  size  during  the  heavy  rains.  Having  followed  it  for 
some  time,  they  came  to  a  clearing  in  the  centre  of  the 
undergrowth,  filled  with  tall  marsh  grass  and  having 
unmistakable  signs  of  connection  with  some  arm  of  the 
sea,  thus  being  a  salt  marsh.  Just  as  they  had  stopped  to 
consult  as  to  which  direction  they  had  better  take,  Ned 
whispered  :  — 

"  Look  at  that  bird.  There's  a  flamingo  !  " 
The  Doctor  motioned  them  to  be  quiet,  and  whispered 
that  where  there  was  one  there  were  others,  and  that  he 
would  soon  bring  them  nearer.  Carefully  taking  a  piece 
of  paper  from  his  pocket,  he  placed  it  between  his  flattened 
hands,  much  as  boys  do  with  a  blade  of  grass  when  they 
want  to  whistle  with  it,  and  gently  blew  so  as  to  make  a 
noise  not  unlike  the  shrill  piping  of  a  young  turkey.  Im- 
mediately the  bird  in  sight  held  its  long  neck  straight  up 
in  the  air,  and  began  to  look  from  side  to  side  ;  in  a  moment 
more  another  head  appeared  above  the  waving  grass,  and 
then  another  and  another,  until  there  were  six  long  fla- 
mingo necks  waving  back  and  forth  in  a  most  grotesque 
way.  Fortunately  the  hunters  were  shielded  from  sight 
behind  a  tall  clump  of  grass,  where  they  could  see,  but  not 
be  seen.  The  Doctor  whispered  that  to  shoot  them  where 
they  were  would  be  only  to  kill  them  in  an  impenetrable 


72  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

marsh,  from  which  they  could  not  be  brought,  and  that 
when  he  scared  them  up  they  would  circle  round  over  head 
once  or  twice  and  afford  an  excellent  shot,  for  which  the 
boys  must  be  ready.  So  saying,  he  stopped  his  whistling 
and  suddenly  clapped  his  hands  loudly.  Instantly  every 
flamingo  took  to  wing,  and  in  a  moment  after  each  bird 
appeared  coming  directly  over  them,  about  one  hundred 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  in  single  file. 

"  I'll  take  first ;  Ned,  second  ;  Hal,  third,"  the  Doctor 
had  just  time  to  say,  when  his  gun  rang  out,  followed 
quickly  by  those  of  the  boys.  Down  came  one  flamingo, 
and  only  one.  A  fine  specimen  it  was,  in  very  full  and 
brilliant  pink  plumage. 

"Well,  there  are  two  pretty  poor  shots  in  this  crowd. 
Who  do  you  think  they  are,  Doctor  ? "  asked  Ned. 

"I  really  don't  know  that  criticism  is  quite  in  place  just 
at  this  rather  embarrassing  time,"  the  Doctor  replied,  with 
a  laugh,  "but  that  was  flamingo  No.  i  that  came  down." 

"  How  could  you  tell  that  ?  I  thought  I  saw  it  was  the 
bird  that  I  shot  at  that  fell,"  said  Harry. 

" 1  had  two  ways  of  telling.  In  the  first  place,  I  noticed 
that  the  leader  was  the  only  full-plumaged  bird,  which  we 
now  have,  and  then  I  knew  beforehand  that  you  boys 
couldn't  kill  a  flamingo,  if  you  did  hit  it.  When  did  you 
last  load  your  guns  and  with  what  ? " 

"  I  declare ! "  said  Ned,  with  a  shade  of  mortification  in  his 
face,  "if  we  didn't  have  those  shells  with  dust-shot  in  them 
that  we  put  in  to  shoot  humming-birds  while  at  Nassau. 
That's  a  pretty  simple  performance  on  our  part.  But  why 
didn't  you  tell  us,  Doctor,  if  you  knew  it  all  the  time  ?  " 


THE    DOCTORS    GUN    RANG    OUT.   FOLLOWED    QUICKLY    BY    THOSE 

OF    THE    BOYS. 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  73 

"For  two  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  this  has  made  an 
impression  on  your  minds  you  are  not  likely  soon  to  forget ; 
and  if  I  get  into  the  habit  of  telling  you  how  to  look  after 
such  things,  you  will  soon  fall  into  the  habit  of  depending 
on  me,  instead  of  on  yourselves.  In  the  second  place,  by 
the  time  we  have  skinned  this  flamingo,  and  also  prepared 
its  skeleton,  which  we  must  save,  you  will  both  be  very 
glad  there  was  only  one,  and  not  three  of  them,  for  it  must 
all  be  done  to-night." 

After  an  hour  or  more  of  hunting  in  vain,  they  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  their  day  had  contained  quite  enough 
of  the  eventful,  and  had  been  much  better  than  they  could 
expect  the  average  to  be  in  that  respect.  So  they  trudged 
contentedly  home  and  to  supper,  which  was  less  gamy, 
and  much  more  commonplace,  than  had  been  the  three 
previous  meals. 

While  they  were  all  busily  engaged  in  cleaning  up  the 
breakfast  dishes  the  next  morning,  a  gun  fired  at  sea 
attracted  their  attention,  and  they  looked  up  to  see  their 
skipper,  the  trader,  riding  at  anchor  in  the  offing  and  the 
small-boat  on  its  way  ashore.  This  meant  hurry  and 
bustle,  for  they  had  not  expected  him  before  the  after- 
noon ;  but  in  about  an  hour  they  were  all  packed  up,  all 
their  trophies  gathered  together  into  their  "  Bank  of  Eng- 
land," as  Harry  called  the  big  tin  trunk  in  which  their 
treasures  were  packed,  and  they  were  on  board  the  "  Belle 
of  Nassau  "  bound  for  Cat  Island,  the  nearest  neighbor  in 
the  group. 

With  a  spanking  wind  they  found  themselves  in  the 
afternoon  skirting  the  east  shore  of  Cat  Island,  for  many 


74  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

years  supposed  to  be  the  first  landing-place  of  Columbus 
and  his  "  Island  of  San  Salvador."  The  Doctor  told  them 
to  gaze  closely  at  its  long  sandy  stretch  of  uninteresting 
and  unpicturesque  shore,  nowhere  rising  more  than  a  com- 
paratively few  feet  out  of  the  water  and  singularly  devoid 
of  attractive  vegetation.  This  he  wanted  them  to  photo- 
graph on  their  memories,  as  it  would  be  interesting  to 
them  in  their  future  studies  in  history.  This,  or  one  of 
its  adjoining  islands,  it  undoubtedly  was  that  the  dis- 
coverer first  set  foot  upon,  and  the  boys  would  do  well  to 
study  their  nature  closely,  he  told  them,  so  as  afterwards 
to  compare  them  with  the  glowing  accounts  given  by 
historians  of  these  spots. 

"  We  had  at  school  in  one  of  our  readers  part  of  Wash- 
ington Irving's  description  of  the  landing  of  Columbus, 
and  that  certainly  made  the  island  of  San  Salvador  seem 
very  attractive,"  said  Ned. 

"Yes,"  the  Doctor  replied,  "Irving  has  been  one  of  the 
principal  sinners  in  this  respect.  He  paints  the  island  not 
as  he  knew  it  to  be  in  fact,  but  as  his  imagination  led  him 
to  fancy  it.  The  discovery  of  the  New  World  was,  with- 
out doubt,  the  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  the 
world  since  the  time  of  Christ.  But  all  historians,  until 
those  of  the  last  few  years,  have  made  the  mistake  of  giv- 
ing to  Columbus  all  the  credit  for  that  discovery.  It 
is  the  fact,  nevertheless,  that  had  it  not  been  made  by 
Columbus  in  1492,  it  would  have  been  by  Pedro  Alvarez 
Cabral,  who  in  1500  lost  his  course  on  the  way  to  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  in  search  of  India,  and  found  himself  on 
the  coast  of  Brazil.     During  these  times,  when  every  one 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  75 


is  talking  about  the  Columbian  exposition  at  Chicago,  it 
has  been  natural  for  writers  and  orators,  really  knowing 
but  little  of  the  subject,  to  make  almost  a  god  out  of  the 
discoverer." 

"  Columbus  didn't  start  out  to  discover  a  New  World, 
did  he  ?  "  asked  Harry. 

"  No  ;  he  had  no  other  idea  than  to  find  the  gold  mines 
and  spice  groves  of  India  ;  and  he  died  without  any  idea 
that  he  was  the  discoverer  we  now  know  him  to  be.  It 
was  not  until  15 13,  when  Balboa,  from  the  mountains  near 
Panama,  saw  the  Pacific  Ocean,  that  it  dawned  upon  the 
geographers  of  the  time  that  it  was  a  new  continent  that 
had  been  discovered." 

"  Was  it  not  strange  that  an  explorer  and  geographer 
like  Columbus  should  not  know  that  the  countries  he  dis- 
covered were  very  different  from  India  ?  "  Ned  asked. 

"  In  the  sense  in  which  we  use  those  terms  Columbus 
was  not  an  explorer  or  a  geographer.  The  thirteen  years 
of  his  life  previous  to  his  residence  in  Portugal  had  been 
spent  as  a  pirate,  and  that  sort  of  life  was  not  likely  to 
add  much  to  his  knowledge,  or  to  anything  but  his  ex- 
treme hunger  for  riches." 

"  A  pirate  !     Oh,  Doctor,  do  you  really  mean  that  ?  " 

"  Most  certainly  ;  although  it  was  not  as  discreditable 
to  him  as  it  seems  to  us  now,  for  then  all  seafaring  people 
carried  on  piracy.  As  long  as  a  century  after  his  time  we 
find  'good  Queen  Elizabeth'  in  partnership  with  her 
admirals,  Drake,  Hawkins,  and  Frobisher,  in  their  pirati- 
cal expeditions  in  these  very  seas,  and  dividing  the  plunder 
and  cheating  them  in  the  division.     It   was  probably  his 


76  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


experience  as  a  pirate  which  caused  him  to  drive  such  a 
shrewd  bargain  with  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain, 
when  at  last  they  consented  to  send  him  on  his  first 
voyage." 

"What  was  the  bargain  like,  Doctor?"  asked  Ned,  to 
whom  history  was  a  particularly  interesting  study. 

"There  were  six  important  stipulations  in  the  agree- 
ment. They  were :  first,  that  he  should  have  for  himself 
and  heirs  forever  the  title  of  Admiral  of  all  lands  and  con- 
tinents discovered ;  second,  that  he  should  be  the  Viceroy 
or  Governor-General  of  those  lands,  and  should  have  the 
right  to  nominate  their  governors ;  third,  that  he  should 
have  one-tenth  of  all  pearls,  precious  stones,  gold,  and 
silver  found  in  them  ;  fourth,  that  he  or  his  lieutenant 
should  be  the  sole  judge  of  all  causes  or  disputes  arising  in 
them  ;  fifth,  that  he  should  contribute  one-eighth  of  the 
expenses,  and  share  one-eighth  of  the  profit  of  the  ex- 
pedition ;  and  sixth,  that  all  these  rights  should  descend 
to  his  heirs  forever.  You  see  he  had  no  small  amount  of 
his  attention  fixed  on  this  world's  goods." 

"  How  is  it,  Doctor,  that  we  know  so  little  of  his  early 
life  ?  At  school  we  were  told  to  write  a  composition  about 
him,  and  there  were  some  of  us  who  called  him  an  Italian, 
some  a  Spaniard,  and  one  or  two  thought  he  was  from 
Portugal,"  Ned  said. 

"  It  is  generally  believed  that  the  difficulty  of  gaining 
information  at  this  late  day  is  due  to  the  fact  that  his  prin- 
cipal biographer,  his  son  Ferdinand,  after  he  became  a 
courtier  and  grandee  of  Spain,  carefully  suppressed  and 
destroyed  all  proofs  of  his  father's  humble  origin  and  life." 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  J  J 


While  this  conversation  was  taking  place,  Harry,  while 
listening,  had  been  looking  over  the  chart  of  the  Bahamas 
which  the  Doctor  had  brought  with  them,  and  now  sud- 
denly looked  up  and  said, 

"This  map  has  three  islands  marked  in  this  way:  Cat 
Island,  supposed  San  Salvador;  Watling's  Island,  landfall 
of  Columbus ;  Atwood  Key  or  Samana,  supposed  San 
Salvador.  Now  which  of  these  is  right,  anyhow  ?  They 
can  t  all  be  right !  " 

"That  is  a  question  which  has  been  in  dispute  for  three 
hundred  years,  and  which  now  is  not  likely  ever  to  be 
settled.  There  are  so  many  doubtful  points  on  which  it 
depends  that  unless  other  manuscripts  are  discovered,  — a 
most  unlikely  thing  to  happen,  —  we  shall  probably  always 
be  in  doubt  about  it." 

"Why,  I  should  think  it  would  be  very  easy  to  take 
Columbus's  log-book,  which  I  remember  that  he  kept,  and 
prove  by  that  where  he  first  landed;  or  why  could  they 
not  find  out  which  islands  the  natives  knew  by  the  name 
that  he  says  was  theirs  for  his  landfall.  I  forget  the 
name;  what  was  it,  Doctor?"  asked  Ned. 

"  Guanahani,"  the  Doctor  replied,  and  then  continued  : 
"  In  the  first  case,  it  is  hard  to  follow  Columbus's  log-book 
for  three  reasons  :  first,  because  he  was  not  sufficiently 
skilful  in  the  use  of  Spanish  to  express  himself  accurately ; 
second,  because  he  kept  a  false  account  of  his  distances  to 
deceive  his  dissatisfied  sailors ;  and  third,  because  we  are 
in  something  of  doubt  as  to  just  what  he  understood  by  a 
mile.  Then  again,  we  are  not  quite  sure  just  where  he  first 
made  a  harbor  in  Cuba,  so  that  we  cannot  follow  him  back 


78  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

from  that  point  through  all  these  islands  to  the  point  of 
his  first  land.  As  to  your  idea  that  the  native  memories 
of  early  names  could  help  you,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say 
that  in  twelve  years  from  the  time  Columbus  landed  here 
there  was  not  one  native  left  above  the  ground,  although 
he  had  found  the  islands  more  populous  than  they  now 
are." 

"  Gracious,  how  did  that  come  about  ? "  asked  Harry. 

"  It  was  entirely  due  to  the  policy  that  the  Spaniards 
established  in  dealing  with  these  poor,  ignorant,  but  peace- 
able wretches.  Columbus  speaks  of  their  intelligence,  of 
their  kindly  disposition,  and  his  son  writes  of  him  as  'a 
dove  bearing  the  olive  branch  of  peace  and  the  oil  of  bap- 
tism to  the  heathen ' ;  yet,  on  their  first  Sabbath  on  land 
we  find  them  kidnapping  the  unsuspecting  natives  and 
bearing  them  away  to  slavery.  The  first  bishop  sent  out 
to  the  West  Indies  soon  returned  in  disgust,  saying  that  he 
could  not  endure  seeing  the  cruelties  practised  on  the 
natives.  Under  the  pretence  of  converting  them,  they 
enslaved  and  sold  these  poor  wretches  into  Spain  for  some 
time  after  the  sovereigns  had  forbidden  the  practice.  So 
you  see  it  has  been  many  long  years,  —  over  three  hundred 
and  fifty  in  fact,  —  since  there  were  any  natives  left  to  help 
us  in  settling  this  question." 

"  Doesn't  Columbus  somewhere  describe  his  landfall  so 
that  it  can  be  told  from  the  other  islands  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  There  as;ain  we  are  interfered  with  in  our  search  for 
the  true  San  Salvador.  For  example,  he  tells  us  that  his 
landfall  was  watered  by  many  streams  and  produced  many 
fruits  ;  now,  as  a  fact,  there   is    no    island  in   the  whole 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  79 

Bahamas  well  watered,  and  there  is  the  best  of  reasons  for 
feeling  sure  that  there  never  was  ;  and  as  to  fruit,  what 
there  is  here,  now,  is  almost  all  of  introduced  varieties, 
brought  by  the  English  from  other  tropical  countries. 
Every  island  he  visited  during  that  first  voyage,  he  describes 
as  better  than  the  last ;  and  as  the  first  is  described  as  some- 
thing rather  better  than  an  earthly  paradise,  this  at  last 
becomes  laughable.  Of  the  trees  on  these  islands,  he 
wrote  that  there  were  '  many  of  them  which  had  branches 
of  many  kinds,  although  growing  from  one  trunk  ;  and  one 
branch  is  of  one  kind  and  another  of  another  kind,  and  so 
different,  that  the  diversity  of  the  kinds  is  the  greatest 
wonder  of  the  world  ;  for  instance,  one  branch  had  leaves 
like  those  of  cane,  and  another  like  those  of  mastic  ;  and 
thus  on  a  single  tree  were  five  or  six  of  these  kinds.'  Of 
course  there  were  no  such  trees  in  existence  then,  as  there 
are  none  now,  but  the  story  was  a  very  good  one  to  awaken 
interest  at  home  with." 

"  The  only  helpful  things  that  he  says  of  his  San  Salva- 
dor," the  Doctor  continued,  "  are  that  it  bore  green  trees, 
was  flat,  surrounded  by  reefs,  had  a  lagoon  in  it,  and  was 
an  east  and  west  island.  These  were,  none  of  them, 
peculiarities  of  any  one  island,  but  belonged  to  several. 
Cat  Island,  however,  has  no  lagoon,  runs  north  and 
south,  and  it  has  the  highest  land  in  the  Bahamas 
on  it,  so  that  it  is  least  likely  of  all  to  be  spoken  of 
as  a  flat  island.  Watling's  Island,  on  the  other  hand, 
has  nearly  one-third  of  its  interior  taken  up  by  a  lagoon 
and  it  is  decidedly  flat  ;  but  it,  too,  runs  north  and 
south." 


80  The  Butterfly  Httnters 

"  Then  you  think  that  Watling's  Island  is  the  true 
landfall,  don't  you,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  No ;  I  can  hardly  say  that,"  was  the  reply.  "  Cat 
Island  is  favored  by  Irving  the  historian  and  Von  Hum- 
boldt the  explorer  and  naturalist ;  but  neither  of  them  was 
aware  of  all  that  is  now  known  on  the  subject,  and  they 
were  not  practical  sailors.  Turk's  Island  was  considered 
to  be  the  landfall  by  Navarette  the  historian  ;  but  his 
theories  have  been  thoroughly  exploded,  as  have  also  those 
of  Varnhagen,  who  claimed  Mariguana  for  that  distinction. 
Watling's  Island,  which,  according  to  Munoz  the  historian, 
Captain  Becher  the  geographer,  Lieutenant  Murdock  of 
our  navy,  and  many  navigation  authorities  of  our  country 
and  Great  Britain,  is  the  true  landfall,  is  certainly  better 
entitled  to  the  honor  than  any  of  those  I  have  just  men- 
tioned. But  in  a  few  days  we  will  visit  Atwood  Key,  or 
Samana,  which,  in  common  with  some  of  the  most  careful 
geographers  and  navigators,  among  them  Captain  Fox, 
Dr.  Redway,  and  Fiske  the  historian,  I  believe  to  have 
the  most  evidence  in  its  favor  as  the  original  Guana- 
hani,  or  San  Salvador.  It,  better  than  any  other,  answers 
all  the  descriptions  of  Columbus  ;  it  is  flat,  is  an  '  east  and 
west  island,'  has  a  lagoon,  and  from  it  his  course  can  best 
be  followed  to  the  point  he  is  supposed  to  have  first 
reached  on  the  coast  of  Cuba." 

After  supper  that  night,  as  they  were  all  sitting  at  the 
bow  watching  the  little  vessel  plough  its  way  through  the 
phosphorescent  sea,  throwing  up,  with  each  wave,  a  glisten- 
ing shower  of  diamonds  and  amethysts,  rubies  and  emeralds, 
Ned  suddenly  asked  :  — 


Columbus  and  his  Landfall  81 


"  Doctor,  is  it  certain  that  there  may  not  have  been 
great  changes  in  these  islands  in  four  hundred  years,  and 
that  we  may  be  doing  Columbus  injustice  in  thinking  him 
so  careless  in  his  description?" 

"  Of  course  there  may  have  been  some  changes  in  the 
elevation  and  general  appearance  of  these  islands,  due  to 
earthquakes  and  the  ocean's  action.  Cuba,  Haiti,  and 
Jamaica  are  all  known  to  have  subsided  perceptibly  within 
two  hundred  years.  But  that  would  not  account  for  most 
of  his  errors,  I  regret  to  say.  I  wish  it  would,  my  boy,  for 
I  do  not  like  to  fill  the  role  of  iconoclast." 

"  Ike  who  ?  I  don't  think  I  ever  heard  of  the  gentleman 
before,"  said  Harry,  whose  reverence  for  big  words  was 
not  very  great,  as  yet. 

"  Iconoclast,  a  breaker  of  images  ;  one  who  shatters 
idols  and  pulls  down  and  overthrows  our  accepted  theories. 
I  would  much  rather  think  of  Columbus  as  Irving  and 
others  profess  to  believe  him  to  have  been,  than  otherwise, 
but  there  are  too  many  things  well  known  about  him  to 
allow  me  to  do  so.  To  excuse  my  attitude  in  the  matter, 
let  me  tell  you  this  one  thing  about  his  second  voyage. 
When  he  was  about  to  return  to  Spain,  and  being  anxious 
to  prove  to  the  King  that  he  had  discovered  the  other  side 
of  India,  he  called  together  eighty  of  his  men  and  com- 
pelled them,  under  heavy  penalties,  to  take  oath  before  his 
notary  that  it  was  possible  to  go  from  Cuba  to  Spain  by 
dry  land  through  and  across  Asia.  These  men  he  threat- 
ened with  having  their  tongues  wrenched  out  should  they 
depart  from  this  oath  on  their  return  ;  yet  he  must  have 
known  it  to  be  false  swearing,  for  he  was  acquainted  with 


82  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

the  island  nature  of  Cuba.  Bernaldez,  a  priest  with  whom 
he  lived,  tells  us  that,  while  a  man  of  but  little  learning, 
1  he  was  of  an  ingenious  turn  of  mind '  ;  and  he  certainly 
showed  it  then." 

It  was  by  this  time  quite  late ;  but  the  boys  said,  as  they 
started  off  to  bed,  that  they  could  listen  to  these  bits  of 
history  all  night,  especially  while  they  were  sailing  through 
the  very  waters  under  discussion. 


CHAPTER   VI 


THE    DEVIL-FISH 


In  Camp  again  —  Xegro  Honesty — The  Geographical  Sense  —  Marvellous 
Memories  —  Training  the  Memory  —  The  Collector's  Outfit  —  Compara- 
tive Abundance  of  Butterflies  —  Spanish  Cedar  —  A  Devil-fish  at  Home 
—  A  Three-hearted  Monster  —  The  Dreaded  "  Kraken  " 

WHEN  they  came  on  deck  the  next  morning,  they 
found  the  vessel  riding  idly  at  anchor,  with  some 
of  the  crew  washing  down  the  deck,  while  others  were  row- 
ing the  trader-skipper  ashore  in  the  small-boat.  They 
were  in  a  small  half-moon-shaped  harbor  protected  by 
coral  reefs,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore ; 
and  it  took  but  one  comprehensive  look  around  to  impel 
Ned  to  say  :  — 

"  All  these  Bahama  harbors  seem  to  be  the  same,  over 
and  over  ;  only  the  village  or  town  near  by  changes  some- 
what, and  even  that  but  little.  I  don't  wonder  it  is  im- 
possible to  tell  where  Columbus  first  landed ;  I  don't  see 
how  any  one  could  describe  these  different  harbors  so  that 
the  next  comer  could  tell  one  from  another.  Where  are 
we  now,  Doctor?"  he  asked. 

"  We  are  in  the  harbor  which  many  geographers  agree  is 
where  Columbus  first  landed  and  took  possession  of 
American  soil.  This  is  Watling's  Island,  which  I  told 
you  so  much  about  last  night,  and  this  harbor  is  perhaps 
as  likely  to  be  the  point  of  Columbus's  landing  here  as  any. 

83 


84  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

The  adherents  of  this  island  as  the  landfall  have  no  more 
decided  differences  with  their  opponents  than  they  have 
among  themselves  as  to  which  of  the  bays  he  entered  here. 

"As  the  captain  has  a  brother  living  here,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  who  is  a  part  owner  in  the  trading  business,  he 
expects  to  remain  for  at  least  two  days  ;  so  I  told  him  that 
when  the  boat  which  is  now  taking  him  ashore  comes 
back,  we  will  pack  our  necessary  articles  into  it  and  have 
the  men  row  us  around  that  point  of  land,  where  we  can 
camp,  free  from  the  prying  eyes  of  natives,  until  he  is 
ready  to  sail  away.     How  does  that  suit  ?  " 

"  That's  fine,"  Harry  rejoined.  "  Camping  out  beats 
hotels  and  steamers,  and  much  more  so  this  little  tub." 

By  the  time  the  boat  came  back  the  party  had  made  a 
hearty  breakfast  and  had  their  belongings  ready  to  load. 
Much  to  the  delight  of  the  boys,  there  was  a  strong,  well- 
shaped,  two-oared  rowboat  in  tow  behind  the  other,  which 
the  Doctor  told  them  they  were  to  have  the  use  of  during 
their  stay,  as  they  would  be  encamped  on  the  shore  of  an 
inlet  which  ran  for  some  distance  into  the  island,  and  a 
boat  would  enable  them  to  hunt  and  fish  with  greater 
comfort. 

It  was  about  half-past  nine  when  they  and  their  outfit 
were  all  safely  on  shore,  and  the  Doctor  proposed  that 
they  simply  pack  their  things  away  in  the  shade  of  some 
cedar  trees,  while  they  started  off  at  once  on  a  butterfly 
hunt,  for  time  was  valuable.  They  would  have  plenty  of 
time  to  unpack  things  after  lunch,  and  the  hours  from  ten 
to  one  were  always  best  for  insect-collecting.  With  this 
they  readily  agreed,  Harry  only  asking  :  — 


The  Devil-fish  85 

"  Is  it  safe  to  leave  all  our  things  this  way,  without  hid- 
ing them  ?  It  isn't  so  far  around  the  point  to  the  village 
but  that  some  one  could  easily  walk  over  here  and  help 

himself." 

"  Don't  let  that  worry  you,  Hal,"  the  Doctor  replied. 
"  Wherever  you  go  in  the  English  West  Indies  you  can 
feel  pretty  safe  in  such  matters.  The  black  people  will 
sometimes  help  themselves  to  food  that  is  around  lose,  or 
to  some  trinket  or  little  things  of  no  real  value  ;  but  they 
have  too  slight  need  for  most  of  the  things  we  consider 
valuable,  and  the  Queen's  laws  are  too  well  and  promptly 
enforced,  for  us  to  worry  over  such  dangers.  In  the 
French  and  Spanish  West  Indies  it  is  a  different  thing; 
but  here  we  are  quite  safe." 

"  Now,  I  propose  that  we  row  up  the  inlet  about  a  mile 
to  where  an  elevation  in  the  shore  marks  the  place  of  an 
old  Lucaya  Indian  shell-heap,  and  from  which  we  can 
survey  our  way  to  the  best  collecting  spot,"  the  Doctor 

continued. 

"How  do  you  know  there  is  such  a  mound  there, 
Doctor?  it  isn't  mentioned  on  our  maps,"  asked  Ned. 

"I  was  here  and  camped  on  that  mound  for  five  days 
nine  years  ago  next  month,"  was  the  reply;  "and  I  re- 
member this   region,  as  though  it   was  yesterday  that   I 

last  saw  it." 

"  Do  you  always  carry  all  the  places  you  have  visited  in 

your  mind,  that  way  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do.  My  sense  of  location  is  very 
largely  developed  ;  the  '  geographical  sense,'  it  is  called. 
And  my  memory  is  in  very  good  order." 


86  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


"  I  should  say  it  is  !  "  Harry  commented.  "  Ned  and  I 
were  talking  about  that  the  other  day,  and  we  couldn't 
see  how  you  could  remember  so  many  facts,  figures,  dates, 
and  the  names  of  persons  and  places.  But  the  most 
wonderful  part  to  us  is  how  you  can  remember  all  the 
terrible,  jaw-breaking  scientific  names  that  you  know  for 
every  plant  and  animal  we  bring  you  or  talk  about.  We 
agreed  we  would  ask  you  how  you  do  it,  and  how  many 
such  names  you  think  you  remember." 

"  It  has  been  estimated  that  Victor  Hugo  remembered 
and  accurately  used  over  8000  words  in  his  ordinary  work 
as  a  writer ;    Cuvier,   the    French    naturalist,   and    Louis 
Agassiz,    the    Swiss    zoologist,    could    promptly    give    the 
names,  according  to  careful  estimates,  of  over  5000  ani- 
mals, in  addition   to  the  ordinary  words   they  knew  per- 
fectly.    It  has   been    said   of   Dr.    Asa    Gray,    the   great 
botanist  of   Harvard,  that  he  knew  quite  8000  plants  by 
name   and    at    sight.     But   by  far   the  most  remarkably- 
trained  memory  with  which  I  have  had  acquaintance  was 
that  of  Dr.  Joseph   Leidy,  for  many  years  and   until   his 
death  President  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 
Philadelphia,  the  collections  of  which,  you  remember,  we 
stopped  to  inspect  on  our  way  from  your  home  to  New 
York.      Dr.  Leidy  was  not  only  a  foremost  geologist  and 
mammalogist,  having  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  the  terms 
of  these  sciences  upon  his  tongue's  end  ;  but  he  was  a  very 
good  student  of  birds,  reptiles,  fishes,  insects,  and  lesser 
things,  and  remarkably  ready  in  remembering  where  their 
different  species  belonged  in  the  great  order  of   nature. 
Besides    this    he    was   an    authority    on    microscopic    life, 


The  Devil-fish 


87 


especially  minute  parasites,  was  a  fair  botanist,  one  of  the 
leading  physicians  and  anatomists  of  his  time,  and  a  per- 
fect encyclopaedia  of  geography  and  exploration.  Add  to 
all  this  a  good  memory  for  names  and  faces,  and  a  famili- 
arity with  several  foreign  languages,  and  you  get  some 
idea  of  this  man's  powers  in  that  respect.  After  a  long 
conversation  with  him  one  day,  on  this  subject,  I  esti- 
mated that  his  memory  enabled  him  to  use  25,000  words  at 
will,  and  I  estimated  it  thus  :  — 


"  Ordinary  English  words 

"  French        " 

"  German      " 

"  Latin  " 

English  technical       " 
Medical  and  anatomical  words 
Geological  and  zoological  names 
All  other  scientific  . 
Geographical  and  personal 


3000 
2000 
2000 
2000 
5000 
5000 
3000 
3000 
2000 

25,000 


"This  seems  almost  beyond  belief,  I  know;  but  that  it 
is  a  very  safe  and  moderate  estimate  I  am  sure.  It  is  far 
greater  than  most  men  do  possess,  because  few  men  are 
masters  of  so  many  and  different  subjects  as  he  was. 
And  it  is  far  greater  than  most  men  can  possess,  because 
few  are  born  with  the  talent  for  memorizing,  and  still 
fewer  have  the  patience  to  train  what  they  have  got.  For 
a  memory  can  be  trained  just  as  well  as  a  muscle  can." 

"  How  have  you  trained  your  memory,  Doctor  ?  Yours 
is  far  ahead  of  anything  I  thought  possible,"  asked  Ned. 

"  To  educate  the  memory,  one  must  learn  first  how  not 
to  abuse  it.     The  athlete  who  wants  to  get  his  muscles  in 


88  The  Btttterfly  Hunters 

perfect  condition  learns  first  what  an  overtax  on  them  is, 
and  never  does  that.  To  have  the  memory  a  storehouse 
of  useful  facts,  it  is  necessary  to  place  no  useless  work 
upon  it.  Never  read  '  trashy '  books,  pass  by  all  sensa- 
tional matters,  such  as  murders,  suicides,  accidents,  and 
the  like,  in  newspapers ;  read  only  such  matter  as  you  feel 
you  will  be  proud  to  know  hereafter.  Never  tire  the 
memory  ;  if  any  sort  of  brain  work  seems  tiresome  or 
unusually  hard  to  do,  stop  it  at  once,  if  you  can,  and  take 
up  some  pleasanter  occupation.  As  far  as  possible  do  the 
work  that  is  to  remain  in  the  brain  between  nine  and  twelve 
in  the  morning,  and  eight  and  eleven  at  night.  Where  it  is 
possible  to  associate  the  word  to  be  memorized  with  some 
form,  do  so.  It  is  much  easier,  and  far  more  useful,  to 
associate  the  name  Felis  leo  with  the  lion's  form  than  not 
to  do  so ;  and  it  is  much  easier  to  remember  the  volcano 
of  Cotopaxi,  if  its  place  on  the  map  of  Ecuador  and  a  pic- 
ture of  it  are  associated  with  the  mere  word." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  shell  mound,  and 
climbing  ashore,  the  Doctor  fastened  the  boat,  while  the 
boys  unloaded  their  collecting  material.  The  collecting 
outfit  carried  by  each  was  quite  simple,  when  the  many 
different  ways  in  which  their  captures  had  afterwards  to 
be  prepared  were  considered.  Their  coats  were  provided 
with  four  deep  outside  pockets,  in  two  of  which  they 
carried  an  alcohol  bottle  with  a  wide  mouth  and  a  glass 
stopper,  and  another  of  the  same  form  in  which  the  deadly 
potassium  cyanide  was  mixed  with  plaster  of  Paris  in  the 
bottom,  thus  being  laden  with  a  dangerous  vapor  which 
almost   instantly  killed  such  insects   as    were   not    to   be 


The  Devil-fish  89 

placed  in  alcohol.     The  other  two  pockets  were  reserved 
for  the    triangular,   ready-folded  papers  into   which   their 
butterflies  were   placed,    one   pocket   holding   the    empty 
papers,  the  other  those  that  were  filled.     By  a  strap,  a  tin 
box,  somewhat  larger  than  a  cigar  box,  and  lined  with  cork, 
hung   from    the  shoulder,   into  which  were  placed  those 
insects  that  required  to  be  pinned  in  the  field;  and  last, 
though  by  no  means  least,  they  were  armed  with  a  stoutly 
made  net,  consisting  of  a  polished  hickory  handle  with  a 
strong  brass  ring  about  fifteen  inches  in  diameter  firmly 
fastened  to  it,  and  a  bag-shaped   net,   of  medium  heavy 
bobbinet,   a   yard    deep.      This    was    their   insect-hunting 
outfit  complete,  save  that  each  had  a  pair  of  steel  forceps 
to  use  in  picking   up    such  insects    as   had  "  very   warm 
ends,"  as  Harry  said  of  the  wasp  and  bee  tribe. 

Inside,  their  coats  were  provided  with  large  game- 
pockets,  extending  all  the  way  around,  into  which  other 
trophies  could  be  put ;  and  to  enable  them  to  fill  these, 
each  carried,  fastened  to  a  belt  and  over  his  right  hip,  a 
very  long-barrelled  pistol  of  32  calibre,  to  which  a  skeleton 
shoulder-piece  could  quickly  be  attached,  so  as  to  turn  it 
into  a  very  fair  shot-gun  for  light  use.  A  few  cartridges 
loaded  with  shot,  and  a  dirk-knife  in  a  leather  sheath  on 
the  belt  at  the  left  side,  intended  for  use  in  cutting  their 
way  through  bushes  and  like  work,  completed  the  outfit ; 
which,  although  it  sounds  quite  formidable,  did  not  weigh, 
all  told,  over  eight  pounds,  or  less  than  a  good,  full-sized 

gun. 

"Doctor,"  said  Ned,  after  they  had  been  collecting  for 
some  time  along  the  edge  of  a  swamp  in  which  there  were 


90  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

flowers  attractive  to  insects,  "  do  you  know  that  I  am  a 
little  disappointed  in  the  number  of  insects,  and  especially 
of  butterflies,  that  we  see.  I  thought  we'd  find  the  air 
here  in  the  tropics  alive  with  them,  hundreds  of  kinds  and 
thousands  of  specimens.  But  I  don't  know  that  there  are 
really  as  many  in  one  place  as  I  have  seen  on  a  hot  day  in 
Pennsylvania.  How  "is  it  ?  Is  this  a  poor  time  of  the 
year  ?  " 

"No,"  was  the  reply;  "on  the  contrary,  it  is  the  best 
time,  in  my  opinion.  But  there  is  one  thing  you  forget, 
and  that  is,  that  these  creatures  keep  appearing  here 
every  month  in  the  year,  and  do  not  have  to  come  forth 
in  hosts  during  a  comparatively  few  weeks  of  very 
warm  weather,  as  they  do  in  the  north.  The  greatest 
crowds  and  flocks  of  butterflies  are  to  be  seen  far  in 
the  north,  even  up  in  Labrador  and  Lower  Alaska ;  but 
there  one  will  find  very  few  kinds,  but  very  many  indi- 
viduals of  each  kind,  and  all  within  about  six  weeks. 
Under  the  equator  the  number  of  kinds  are  legion,  but 
they  do  not  flock  forth  in  clouds  in  a  short  time.  At  Ega, 
on  the  Amazon  River,  for  example,  there  have  been  more 
kinds  of  butterflies  taken  in  a  radius  of  five  miles  from  the 
town  than  are  known  to  exist  in  the  entire  United  States. 

"Then,  too,"  he  continued,  "insects  have  much  more 
to  feed  upon  here,  and  consequently  their  flight  is  much 
less  general,  as  a  rule,  than  it  is  in  a  country  where  so 
much  of  the  land  is  under  cultivation,  that  all  for  a 
long  distance  round  come  to  some  rich  swamp  or  honey- 
laden  clover  field.  Collecting  in  the  tropics  is  a  work 
requiring    more  ceaseless  care,  more  going   in    search  of 


The  Devil-fish  91 

good  localities,  and  much  endurance  of  heat.  Nor  is  it 
possible  to  chase  butterflies  here  as  in  the  north,  for  here 
everything  is  too  densely  overgrown  with  vegetation  for 
that." 

After  lunch,  and  an  hour  of  idleness  in  the  shade  of 
some  cedar  trees,  they  put  up  the  tent  near  the  edge  of 
the  inlet,  where  the  Doctor  thought  they  would  get  the 
best  breezes  during  the  hot  hours.  While  they  were  at 
this  work,  Harry  asked  :  — 

"  Doctor,  why  do  they  call  these  trees  cedars  ?  They 
certainly  are  not  like  those  we  know  by  that  name." 

"The  Spanish  cedar,  known  to  botanists  as  Cedrela 
odorata,  is  not  in  any  sense  a  cedar,  but  is  one  of  the 
mahogany  family,  as  its  appearance,  and  the  grain  of  its 
wood,  which  you  have  often  seen  in  cigar-boxes,  shows. 
Its  name  cedar  probably  comes  to  it  from  the  odor  of  the 
wood,  which  is  not  unlike  that  of  our  cedar." 

Later  in  the  afternoon  it  was  proposed  that  they  row 
along  the  shores  of  the  inlet,  as  it  was  low  tide,  and  gather 
some  oysters  for  supper,  together  with  such  other  treasures 
as  they  could  find.  While  they  were  engaged  at  this  work, 
along  a  part  of  the  shore  where  there  was  a  considerable 
mass  of  coral  rock  much  hollowed  out  by  the  action  of  the 
water,  Ned  suddenly  exclaimed  :  — 

"What  in  the  world  is  that,  Doctor?  Look,  there  in 
the  water  !     A  great  bunch  of  giant  eels  !  " 

Looking  down  into  the  crystal  water,  they  could  all 
plainly  see  a  lot  of  thick,  squirming,  snake-like  bodies, 
slowly  moving  up  and  down  with  a  gentle  motion,  and  all, 
apparently,  with  one  end  running  into  a  hole  in  the  rock. 


92  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


Ned  was  for  trying  some  bait  on  a  strong  line  in  the 
endeavor  to  catch  one  or  more  of  them  ;  but  Harry  favored 
reaching  boldly  down  and  grabbing  one  with  the  hands. 
While  they  thus  planned,  the  Doctor  listened  with  interest, 
until  Hal  started  to  put  his  plan  into  execution,  when  he 
quickly  said  :  — 

"  Hold  on  there,  Hal !  That  won't  do  !  Those  eels,  as 
you  call  them,  all  belong  to  one  creature,  and  it  is  an 
octopus,  or  devil-fish,  that  you  are  looking  at.  He  is 
probably  much  better  able  to  pull  you  down  than  you  are 
to  bring  him  up  here." 

"A  devil-fish  !  "  exclaimed  Ned.  "Well,  I  rather  guess 
we  don't  want  to  fool  with  him.  Why,  if  half  I've  read 
about  them  is  true,  I  guess  we'd  better  be  rowing  home." 

"  Probably  not  nearly  half  of  it  is  true,"  the  Doctor  said, 
laughing,  as  he  unwound  a  ball  of  strong  grass  cord  from 
his  pocket ;  "  for  there  is  nothing,  probably,  on  the  earth 
or  in  the  sea,  about  which  more  '  fish  stories '  have  been 
told.  But  I  guess  we  can  fix  him  so  that  when  we  leave 
here  he  will  come  along  with  us." 

While  saying  this  he  had  tied  a  running  noose  in  the 
end  of  the  cord,  and,  then,  with  a  smaller  cord,  he  tied  a 
piece  of  raw  meat,  brought  along  for  bait,  so  that  it  hung 
loose  in  the  loop  of  the  noose. 

"  Now,  you  boys  take  the  oars  and  quietly  put  the  stern 
of  the  boat  in  right  over  where  Mr.  Devil-fish  is,  and  when 
I  give  the  word,  you  both  pull  for  dear  life  until  I  say  stop, 
and  pull  right  for  deep  water  in  the  centre  of  the  inlet." 

Then  bending  over  the  stern,  he  gently  let  the  noose 
down;  in  an  instant  he  gave  a  quick  jerk,  and  immediately 


The  Devil-fish  93 


began  to  haul  in  the  cord,  while  he  called  to  them  to  pull 
away  rapidly.  In  a  few  moments  they  were  in  mid-stream, 
and,  after  making  the  cord  fast,  he  turned  and  explained 
that  he  had  the  beak  of  the  devil-fish  fast  in  the  noose  and 
was  towing  it  behind,  with  enough  rope  out  to  prevent  its 
getting  hold  of  the  boat,  and  not  enough  to  allow  it  to 
reach  the  bottom  and  hold  fast.  The  beak,  he  explained, 
was  the  only  part  that  it  would  not  tear  out  to  liberate 
itself. 

"I  read  once  of  an  English  navy  officer,"  Ned  began, 
"  who  was  stopping  at  a  hotel  in  the  tropics,  and  who 
came  down  to  dinner  in  full  evening  uniform,  white 
trousers  and  all.  Finding  he  had  a  half-hour  to  spare,  he 
strolled  along  the  beach,  looking  for  shells.  He  came 
suddenly  upon  an  octopus,  I  think  it  was,  or  a  cuttlefish, 
that  was  sheltered  in  a  hollow  in  a  rock.  He  stood  and 
eyed  it,  and  in  return  it  looked  steadily  at  him,  and  for 
quite  a  little  while  they  were  both  motionless,  just  glaring 
at  each  other.  Suddenly,  without  any  warning,  the  oct- 
opus threw  at  him  a  stream  of  inky  stuff  that  drenched  his 
beautiful  white  trousers,  and  left  him  wishing  he  had  not 
tried  to  stare  a  devil-fish  out  of  countenance  while  he  was 
in  his  best  togs." 

"  Could  that  yarn  be  true,  Doctor  ?  "  Harry  asked.  "Do 
they  throw  ink  around  that  way  ;  and  are  they  easily  made 
mad  ? " 

"  There  is  nothing  improbable  in  the  story,  as  we  shall 
doubtless  see,  when  we  come  to  get  this  prize  ashore." 

When  they  approached  the  shore  and  go  into  shoal 
water,  the  Doctor  drew  their  captive    still    closer  to   the 


94  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

boat  to  keep  him  from  getting  hold  on  the  bottom,  where 
he  would  fasten  himself  and  drag  some  of  his  arms  loose. 
Then  he  directed  Ned  to  wade  ashore  and  get  one  of 
their  carving-knives,  and  tie  the  handle  of  it  firmly  to  one 
of  the  butterfly-net  handles.  With  this  makeshift  spear 
he  reached  over  the  stern,  and  drawing  the  creature  up 
until  it  was  almost  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  he  struck 
it  three  or  four  blows  in  the  body,  so  as  to  place  it  beyond 
the  chance  of  giving  active  battle,  although  it  still  showed 
signs  of  life,  and  made  a  feeble  resistance  against  coming 
ashore.  While  this  was  going  on  the  water  was  clouded ; 
first  light,  then  dark  brown,  and  finally  nearly  black ; 
while  the  creature  itself  changed  from  pink  to  red,  to  blue 
and  to  purple. 

After  its  struggles  had  been  brought  to  a  close  by  a  well- 
directed  stab,  they  gathered  around  it,  while  the  Doctor 
explained  its  structure  and  told  something  of  its  nature. 

"  This  is  a  true  octopus,  or  '  eight-legger,'  as  the  name 
might  be  translated,  and,  therefore,  it  belongs  to  the 
family  of  Cephalapodce>  a  word  derived  from  the  two 
Greek  words  meaning  head  and  feet,  used  because,  as 
you  see,  its  feet,  or  tentacles,  grow  out  of  the  forward  part 
of  its  head.  It  has  a  soft,  fleshy,  roundish,  egg-shaped 
body,  which  ends  in  fleshy  fins.  The  head  protrudes 
sufficiently  to  be  distinct  from  the  body,  and  has  a  well- 
formed  mouth,  or  beak,  a  large  pair  of  eyes,  and  a  good 
hearing-apparatus.  The  eyes  are  capable  of  being  pro- 
truded on  short,  fleshy  stalks,  and  its  gaze  is  decided,  and 
even  threatening,  and  their  fiery,  golden-colored  centres 
have  a  sort  of  fascination  about  them.     The  mouth,"  he 


The  Devil-fish  95 

continued,  turning  the  creature  over,  "  is  here,  in  front  of 
the  head,  and  is  armed  with  a  cruel  pair  of  horny  or  shell- 
like jaws,  giving  it  a  beak  strongly  resembling  that  of  a 
parrot.  Its  legs  terminate  in  suckers,  which  it  uses  to 
attach  itself  to  objects,  to  hold  its  prey,  or  in  moving 
about ;  and  they  are  frequently  armed  with  sharp,  horny 
claws." 

"It  feels  almost  like  jelly,"  Ned  said,  as  he  pressed  one 
of  its  legs  with  his  foot." 

"Yes,  so  it  does,  and  so  free  from  skeleton  is  it  that, 
save  its  beak  and  the  central  body  and  head,  it  can  lose 
any  part  of  its  fleshy  mass  and  reproduce  it  again  at  will," 
the  Doctor  replied.  Then  he  continued  :  "  It  has  three 
hearts  —  one  about  the  centre  of  its  body,  and  one  near 
each  of  the  gills,  on  the  head ;  it  can  lose  either  of  the 
latter,  but  a  cut  that  reaches  the  former,  as  did  my  last 
blow,  soon  despatches  it." 

"I  noticed  it  change  color  very  beautifully,  just  as  we 
were  hauling  it  out,"  said  Harry. 

"Yes,  instead  of  being  content  to  blush  red  or  turn 
white  with  anger,  as  do  we,  it  can  change  its  complexion 
to  quite  a  score  of  different  colors  and  shades ;  but  that  is 
not  all,  for  it  will  cover  itself,  if  very  angry  or  very  much 
frightened,  with  pustules,  warts,  and  long  hair-like  threads, 
so  wonderful  is  its  muscular  control  of  its  outer  covering. 
For  many  centuries  the  inky  fluid  it  emits  was  used  for 
writing-purposes,  and  to-day  the  extract  made  from  the 
color  sac  is  much  used  in  water  colors  under  the  name  of 
sepia.  So  strong  and  indestructible  is  it,  that  the  black 
material  taken  from  the  sacs  of  fossil  species,  dead  and 


g6  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

turned  to  stone  thousands  of  years  ago,  readily  makes  a 
brilliant  sepia." 

The  specimen  that  they  had  captured  measured  two  feet 
and  seven  inches  across  its  extended  legs,  which  the  Doc- 
tor told  them  was  a  good-sized  one  for  that  region.  Yet 
its  body  was  quite  small,  giving  it  much  the  appearance  of 
a  gigantic  water-spider ;  a  most  repulsive  and  hideous 
monster.  The  Doctor  said  that,  as  they  had  no  jar  large 
enough  to  hold  it,  and  it  would  take  more  than  all  their 
alcohol  to  preserve  it,  it  was  best  to  throw  it  away  as  soon 
as  Ned  finished  a  pencil  sketch  of  it,  which  he  had  by 
this  time  started. 

After  their  supper  of  broiled  and  fried  oysters,  and  some 
guava  preserves  and  bananas  that  they  had  brought  ashore, 
while  they  were  cleaning  up  the  cooking-things,  Harry, 
whose  mind  still  ran  on  their  recent  capture,  said:  — 

"  Don't  devil-fishes  grow  to  be  very  large  and  savage, 
Doctor  ?     And  do  they  lay  eggs  in  quantities,  like  fish  ? " 

"  They  lay  from  twenty  to  thirty  pear-shaped  eggs  in  a 
cluster,  that  looks  like  a  bunch  of  black  grapes,  and  is 
securely  fastened  to  some  stationary  object  under  water. 
The  sailors  call  these  '  sea-raisins,'  and  the  mother  devil- 
fish stays  by  them,  and  is  very  savage  during  the  month 
they  are  hatching.  There  are  modern  stories  of  their 
having  grown  to  be  thirty  feet  across,  but  about  ten  feet 
appears  to  be  the  greatest  size  known  beyond  doubt.  In 
ancient  days  they  were  known  as  'kraken,'  and  were 
credited  with  power  to  drag  a  three-masted  ship  beneath 
the  waves ;  and  one  old  naturalist,  and  a  bishop  at  that, 
tells  of  one  on  the  back  of  which  a  thousand  soldiers  could 


The  Devil-fish  97 


have  been  drilled.  These  stories  were  so  generally  be- 
lieved that  even  Linnaeus,  the  great  naturalist,  proposed 
the  name  of  Sepia  macrocosmos,  'the  great  sepia,'  for  the 
giant  kind.  However,  they  grow  quite  large  enough  to 
be  formidable  enemies ;  for  although  slow  and  clumsy  on 
land,  their  movements  are  lightning-like  in  the  water,  and 
a  man  would  there  have  no  chance  for  his  life  in  the 
clutches  of  one." 

"  Has  any  one  ever  been  attacked  by  a  large  one  ? " 
Harry  asked. 

"  It  is  time  we  started  to  try  our  molasses-and-beer  trick 
on  the  moths  ;  but  as  we  go  along,  I  will  tell  you  of  one 
well-known  case,"  the  Doctor  said. 

"A  Mr.  Beale,  a  naturalist,"  the  Doctor  began,  "was 

walking  on  the  shore  of  a  tropical  island,  when  he  saw  an 

extraordinary-looking    animal  crawling   back  towards  the 

surf  on  eight  soft,  bending  legs.     As   it  appeared  to  be 

alarmed  and  was  doing  its  best  to  escape,  he  tried  to  stop 

it  by  stepping  on  its  legs,  but    it  easily  liberated    itself. 

Then  he  grabbed  one  of  its  legs,  held  firmly,  until  it  looked 

as  if  it  would  pull  apart,  and  then  gave  it  a  powerful  jerk. 

This  so  enraged  it,  that  with  a  spring  it  left  the  ground, 

and,  winding  its    cold,   slimy  legs  around    his    bare    arm, 

attempted  to  fasten  its  beak,  which  he  then  first  noticed, 

in   his   flesh.       He    cried    loudly   for   help,   and    he  was 

released  by  a    companion,  only  by  cutting   it  away  from 

him  bit  by  bit.       It  was  over  four  feet   across,  although 

its  body  was    little    bigger    than    a    large    orange.       He 

described    the    effects    of    its     clammy    grasp,    horrible 

form,    and  glistening   eyes  as    sickening  and  terrible  be- 
11 


gS  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


yond    words.       But    here   we    are    at    a    good   tree   for 
'sugaring.'  " 

Their  success  was  about  as  on  the  former  night,  and 
they  returned  late,  laden  with  treasures,  and  thoroughly 
tired  by  another  eventful  day. 


CHAPTER  VII 


DOWN    THE    ISLANDS 


Migrating  Butterflies  —  Samana  or  Guanahani  —  A  Tropical  Downpour  — 
Meeting  Old  Friends  —  An  Island  "  Pooh-Bah  "  —  Camping  on  Great 
Inagua  —  Pugnacious  Ants  —  Insect  Pests  —  Their  Sense  of  Smell  — 
The  Use  of  the  Antennae 

HHE  following  day  was  an  uneventful  one,  the  boys 

*-  adding  to  their  collections  larger  series  of  species 
already  discovered,  that  they  might  have  ample  material 
from  which  to  fill  all  orders.  On  the  morning  of  the  day 
after,  the  "boom"  of  a  gun  in  the  harbor  warned  them 
that  their  skipper  was  preparing  to  leave  and  that  they 
must  hurry  with  their  packing  to  join  him.  Soon  the 
small-boat  appeared  in  the  inlet,  for  the  light  row-boat 
that  they  had  been  using  was  hardly  large  enough  to 
carry  them  and  all  their  belongings  through  the  higher 
waves  of  the  harbor  in  safety ;  and  in  a  little  while  there- 
after they  had  bidden  good-bye  to  Watling's  Island,  and 
were  bounding  along  under  full  sail  on  their  way  to 
Atwood  Key  or  Samana. 

That  afternoon,  as  he  was  lolling  in  a  hammock  on  the 
after-deck,  Harry  suddenly  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Hello  !  look  up  there  !  I  declare  if  there  aren't  a  lot  of 
butterflies  flying  overhead,  way  out  here  at  sea  !  " 

As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  there  extended  a  scattered 
column    of   butterflies    flying   rapidly   along   towards   the 

99 


ioo  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


southeast,  and  as  far  as  they  could  see  back  of  them 
others  could  be  seen  coming  towards  them.  This  was  a 
most  unaccountable  sight  to  the  boys,  and  the  wonder  of 
it  was  deepened  when  the  Doctor  pointed  out  another 
column,  further  to  the  north  and  flying  parallel  to  this, 
and  told  them  that,  no  doubt,  there  were  others  out  of 
sight. 

"  There  must  be  several  hundred  in  sight  here,  right 
near  us,"  Ned  exclaimed.  "  Then  how  many  must  there 
be  in  all  of  these  two  columns  ? " 

"Go  to  the  man  at  the  wheel  and  ask  him  if  he  has 
noticed  them,  and  whether  he  ever  saw  such  a  thing 
before,"  the  Doctor  suggested. 

In  a  moment  Ned  returned  with  a  look  of  bewilderment 
on  his  face,  as  he  said :  — 

"What  do  you  suppose?  He  says  they  were  flying 
this  morning  about  sunrise,  and  that  they  were  passing 
over  Watling's  Island  all  day  yesterday.  And  he  says 
it  isn't  an  uncommon  sight  at  all  at  this  time  of  year, 
and  they  always  fly  in  about  that  direction.  Where  do 
you  suppose  they  are  going,  Doctor  ?  I  hadn't  any  idea 
that  butterflies  flew  in  flocks  this  way,  just  like  birds." 

"The  migrating  habit  is  well  known  in  some  butter- 
flies," the  Doctor  replied,  "and  it  is  not  alone  in  the 
tropics  that  it  is  observed.  I  remember  seeing  a  migra- 
tion of  the  large  red  Danais  archippus,  so  common  in  our 
North,  along  the  banks  of  the  upper  Delaware  River  in 
New  Jersey,  which  was  headed  due  south,  and  kept  up  in 
the  face  of  a  head  wind  pretty  steadily  all  of  two  days. 
In  the  Tennessee  mountains  I  also  once  saw  a  migration 


CxJ 


w    2 


Down  the  Islands  101 

of  a  similar  species  also  bound  towards  the  warm  low- 
lands of  the  far  South.  In  Jamaica  I  have  seen  a  species, 
common  in  Florida  and  Georgia,  but  rare  in  Cuba  and 
Jamaica,  passing  overhead  bound  south  for  three  days,  and 
learned  from  a  ship,  just  in  from  Cartagena,  Colombia, 
that  they  had  been  passing  them  for  two  days.  In  all  of 
these  cases  they  were  facing  a  warm  wind,  and  in  every 
case  of  which  I  have  full  information  that  seems  to  be 
their  custom.  So  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  either  for 
a  change  of  climate  or  to  escape  the  coming  heavy  rains 
that  they  migrate,  and  that  it  is  by  the  wind,  in  some  way, 
that  they  decide  where  to  go.  From  Florida  to  Jamaica  is 
nearly  five  hundred  miles,  and  on  to  South  America  nearly 
five  hundred  miles  more.  No  doubt  thousands  perish  in 
the  sea,  but  I  believe  that  thousands  reach  their  destina- 
tion in  safety." 

"Do  they  come  back  the  next  season?"  Harry  asked. 

"No;  that  is  the  strange  part  of  it.  No  one  has  ever 
observed  any  return  migration,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain. 
In  all  cases  these  columns  are  composed  almost  entirely  of 
males,  and  they  are  usually  of  a  species  in  which  the  few 
females  that  do  live  through  the  winter  to  deposit  their 
eggs  in  the  spring  manage  to  find  shelter  from  the  cold  in 
hollow  logs,  under  stones,  and  in  other  safe  places.  But- 
terflies do  not  live  so  long  that  the  same  ones  could  come 
back  next  season,  as  a  rule,  and  this  migrating  appears  to 
be  without  reason,  and  of  no  benefit  to  the  species. 

"  Mr.  Belt,  a  collector  in  Nicaragua,"  the  Doctor  con- 
tinued, "  tells  of  a  migration  of  a  common  species  of  that 
region,  in  which  there  were  hundreds  in  sight  at  once,  and 


I02  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


which  continued  for  weeks,  so  that  it  must  have  consisted 
of  millions  of  individuals.  Mr.  Bates  saw  the  same  on  the 
Amazon  River  several  times,  but  in  his  case  many  of  them 
settled  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  and  as  they  were  a 
bright  lemon-yellow  species,  much  like  these  passing  now, 
they  made  the  shore  look  as  though  it  was  variegated  with 
beds  of  crocuses  and  jonquils.  And  many  other  naturalists 
have  observed  this  in  various  parts  of  the  world  ;  so  you 
see  migrating  among  butterflies  is  no  new  thing." 

"  Then  you  know  the  kind  of  butterfly  those  up  there 
are,  do  you,  Doctor  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Yes ;  both  by  the  motion  of  their  flight  and  the  outline 
of  the  wings,  seen  through  these  field  glasses,  I  can  tell 
the  genus  they  belong  to,  and  I  know  that  it  can  be  but 
one  species  that  in  this  locality  is  so  very  plentiful.  It  is 
Callidryas  enbide,  the  largest  sulphur-yellow  butterfly  with- 
out any  black  on  its  wings,  that  you  have  been  catching  so 
many  of,  the  past  few  days." 

"  Is  there  no  way  to  attract  some  of  them  down  here  to 
us?"  asked  Ned. 

"  Not  on  a  moving  vessel,  I  think  ;  but  if  they  were  fly- 
ing overhead  on  land,  we  might  be  able  to  attract  them  by  a 
cloth  of  yellow  color  spread  on  the  shore.  That  they  would 
be  likely  to  mistake  for  a  gathering  of  their  own  kind,  and 
some  would  come  down  to  join  them." 

They  reached  Atwood  Key  about  midnight,  but  it  was 
not  until  the  next  morning  that  the  boys  got  a  glimpse  of 
the  land  which  the  Doctor's  arguments  made  them  regard 
as  the  original  landfall  of  San  Salvador,  the  Guanahani  of 
the  early  Lucaya  Indians.      With  the  exception  of  Mar- 


Down  the  Islands  103 

iguana  it  was,  he  told  them,  the  only  "  east  and  west " 
island  of  all  those  fixed  upon  by  various  students  of  the 
subject ;  and  Mariguana  had  none  of  the  other  requirements 
for  filling  Columbus's  meagre  description,  and  this  one 
had  every  one  of  them  to  a  nicety  and  had,  besides  that, 
the  sanction  of  the  old  map  made  in  1500  by  Juan  de  la 
Cosa,  and  another  of  about  1532  made  by  order  of  Henry 
II.  of  France,  in  both  of  which  the  names  Guanahani  and 
Samana  are  given  to  the  same  island. 

Naturally,  although  the  skipper  intended  to  land  here 
but  for  a  few  hours,  the  boys  wanted  to  go  ashore,  even  if 
only  for  a  few  minutes,  so  as  to  say  that  they  had  set  foot 
on  such  historic  ground.  Therefore,  with  only  their 
collecting  outfits  they  went  ashore  in  the  boat  with  the 
skipper,  agreeing  not  to  wander  far  away  and  to  be  at  the 
landing  point  soon  after  the  gun  was  fired.  But  they 
had  calculated  on  a  continuation  of  the  charmingly  even 
clear  weather  of  the  past  two  weeks,  without  any  re- 
gard for  the  few  scattered,  fleecy  clouds  away  on  the 
horizon.  They  had  not  been  on  shore  over  a  half-hour, 
however,  before  great  drops,  seemingly  out  of  a  clear  sky, 
began  to  fall.  The  Doctor,  looking  up  and  seeing  the 
margin  of  the  cloud  just  over  them  and  that  the  set  of 
the  wind  was  in  their  direction,  quickly  directed  them  to 
undress  completely.  Astonished  beyond  measure,  but  ob- 
serving that  he  was  setting  the  example,  they  did  as  told. 
Then  he  told  them  to  roll  shirts  and  stockings  inside  of 
trousers,  and  those  in  their  coats,  tying  the  whole  into 
the  tightest  possible  bundle  and  putting  it  in  the  large 
pith  helmet,  that  each  wore  to  ward  off  the  sun  and  keep 


104  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


his  head  cool.  All  this  he  showed  them  how  to  do,  then 
tied  the  shoes  of  each  closely  under  his  bundle  and  the 
whole  outfit  in  a  protecting  tree,  hat  side  up,  too  far  above 
the  ground  to  be  splashed  by  the  downpour,  that  by  this 
time  was  upon  them. 

"  Now  a  tropical  rain  shower  means  the  opening  of  the 
clouds  and  pouring  the  water  out,  as  you  will  soon  see ; 
what  would  be  called  a  '  water  spout '  or  '  cloud  burst '  in 
your  State  is  a  daily  occurrence  during  the  rainy  season 
here.  At  this  time  of  year  a  shower  will  last  only  a  few 
moments,  but  so  great  is  its  force  that  we  should  soon  be 
drenched  through.  The  temperature  will  go  down  per- 
ceptibly during  it,  and  there  is  the  danger.  If  we  got 
wringing  wet  and  well  chilled  in  this  shower  and  had  to 
wait  until  we  reached  the  vessel  again  to  get  dry  clothes, 
even  such  an  old  stager  as  I  might  get  a  touch  of  fever, 
but  you  boys  would  need  extra  doses  of  quinine  for  three 
or  four  weeks  to  come,  and  might  be  quite  sick.  Now  that 
we  may  not  get  chilled  we  will  place  our  collecting-bottles, 
nets,  and  guns  here,  and  take  a  gentle  run  around  them 
until  the  sun  comes  out  again." 

So  they  did ;  and  when,  in  about  twelve  or  fifteen  min- 
utes, the  cloud  had  passed  over,  they  had  dry  clothes  to 
put  on  again  and  were  none  the  worse  for  the  wetting, 
after  their  return  to  the  vessel,  save  that  their  guns  and 
collecting-boxes  needed  a  good  drying  out  and  cleaning. 

As  they  left  the  harbor  that  afternoon,  the  skipper  told 
the  Doctor  that  he  had  disposed  of  all  his  goods,  and, 
beyond  a  short  stop  at  Fortune  Island,  where  he  had  to 
leave  a  package,  he  did  not  need  to  stop  again  until  Great 


Down  the  Islands  105 

Inagua  was  reached,  at  which  point  he  expected  to  find 
goods  awaiting  him  from  the  last  New  York  vessel,  which 
he  would  sell  on  his  way  back  to  Nassau,  passing  through 
the  more  westward  islands.  This  exactly  suited  the 
Doctor,  as  there  was  now  nothing  in  particular  to  keep 
them  longer  in  the  Bahamas,  except  the  packing  and  ship- 
ping of  some  of  their  treasures  to  be  sent  home  from 
Great  Inagua. 

On  the  morning  of  the  next  day  as  they  rode  at  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  Fortune  Island,  they  were  surprised  to 
hear  a  hoarse  steam  whistle  not  far  away,  and,  on  looking 
up  from  the  work  of  preparing  some  of  their  specimens  for 
shipping,  to  see  a  fair-sized  ocean  steamship  bearing  in 
their  direction.  After  a  moment's  scrutiny  the  Doctor 
said, 

"  That's  an  Atlas  Liner;  I  can  tell  by  its  pearl-gray  hull 
and  the  colors  on  its  smokestack.  It  is  stopping  here,  as 
they  do  every  trip,  either  to  take  up  blacks  to  help  load 
and  unload  or  to  put  them  down  again.  The  negroes  in 
Haiti  and  Jamaica  are  so  independent  that  it  pays  best  to 
get  such  labor,  as  they  will  need  in  those  ports,  here,  and 
then  unload  them  on  the  way  back.  Which  way  is  this 
steamer  bound  ? "  he  asked  the  man  at  the  wheel. 

"  For  Jamaica,  sah ;  I  guess,  maastah,"  that  ebony 
worthy  replied.  "  It's  too  loaded  down  fo'  to  be  teckin' 
bananas  to  de  States." 

"  That's  so  ;  I  might  have  thought  of  that.  Of  course  it 
has  heavier  freight  aboard  than  bananas,  or  else  it  would 
ride  further  out  of  the  water."  Then,  taking  up  his  field- 
glass,  which  was  by  him,  he  added,  — 


io6  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


"Why,  it's  the  'Ailsa';  I  wonder  whether  my  good 
friends,  Captain  Morris  and  Purser  Monks,  are  still  on 
board  of  her  ?  I  hope  our  skipper  will  be  back  in  time  for 
me  to  take  the  small-boat  and  row  over  and  see." 

As  he  spoke  he  glanced  towards  the  shore  and  saw 
that  the  skipper  was  already  on  his  way  back.  As  soon 
as  he  arrived,  they  arranged  to  be  rowed  over  to  the  "  Ailsa," 
but  a  short  distance  away,  and  they  were  there  by  the 
time  that  the  long-boat  had  come  out  from  the  island  with 
its  cargo  of  negro  stevedores.  Captain  Morris,  a  short, 
jovial,  elderly  man,  every  inch  of  him  the  capable  captain 
and  thorough  English  gentleman,  and  Purser  Monks,  as 
jolly  a  mixture  of  hard  worker  on  deck  and  good  fellow  on 
shore  as  ever  trod  an  Atlas  Line  vessel,  —  and  that  is  saying 
much, —  were  heartily  surprised  and  glad  to  see  the  Doctor, 
who,  they  said,  was  always  turning  up  in  the  most  unex- 
pected places.  They  told  him  he  and  his  young  com- 
panions had  better  come  direct  with  them  to  Jamaica, 
where  they  would  be  in  two  days ;  but,  with  a  handshake 
and  a  promise  to  try  to  see  them  in  that  island,  by  the 
time  they  had  made  another  trip,  our  party  said  good-bye 
and  ran  down  the  rope  ladder  just  after  the  last  darkey  had 
come  aboard.  And  in  a  few  moments  the  "Ailsa"  was 
steaming  on  her  way,  and  but  a  little  while  later  was  only 
represented  by  a  long  trail  of  smoke  on  the  horizon. 

About  noon  the  next  day  they  came  to  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Great  Inagua  Island,  the  time  of  their  trip  from 
Fortune  Island  having  been  used  to  finish  the  division 
of  their  belongings  into  two  sets  of  parcels,  —  those  which 
were  to  go  with  them  and  those  that  were  now  all  ready 


Down  the  Islands  107 


to  be  shipped  north  by  the  next  steamer.  Here  they  bade 
their  skipper  and  his  crew  good-bye,  supplementing  the 
very  modest  payment  exacted  for  their  trip  from  Nassau 
by  gifts  of  knives,  pipes,  and  other  trifles,  which  gave 
great  pleasure. 

On  shore  they  found  that  the  next  north-bound  vessel 
was  not  expected  for  five  or  six  days,  but  that  a  small 
schooner  was  expected  to  sail  for  Tortuga  in  two  days. 
At  once  they  put  their  homeward-bound  freight  in  charge 
of  the  gentleman  who  filled  the  complex  role  of  steamship 
agent,  contractor  for  stevedores,  agent  for  several  marine 
insurance  companies,  grower  and  shipper  of  produce  and 
fruit  for  northern  markets,  and  general  manager  for  every 
one  around  him,  besides  filling  the  honorable  position  of 
resident  representative  of  Her  Majesty's  Government  and 
Consular  Agent  for  the  United  States  ;  and  then  they 
engaged  passage  for  Tortuga,  agreeing  to  come  on  board 
of  their  new  vessel  in  the  evening  of  the  second  day 
following,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  an  early  start  the  next 

morning. 

Although  they  had  a  cordial  invitation  from  the  gentle- 
man of  many  duties,  whose  heart  was  as  large  as  his 
executive  capacity,  to  be  his  guests,  they  decided  to  hire 
a  boatman  to  take  them  to  a  deserted  part  of  the  shore, 
where  they  could  enjoy  the  camper's  life  with  entire  free- 
dom and  could  give  all  their  attention  to  their  collecting. 
At  the  point  selected,  so  used  to  the  outdoor  life  did  they 
already  feel,  things  went  on  very  smoothly,  without  any  of 
the  excitement  that  made  "Camp  Flamingo"  and  "Camp 
Octopus,"  as  Harry  had  named  them,  so  memorable. 


108  The  Butterfly  Himters 

On  the  morning  of  their  last  day  there,  however,  Harry 
had  an  experience  that  was  likely  to  be  remembered,  and 
that  the  Doctor  cautioned  them  both  they  must  take  to 
heart  as  teaching  a  useful  lesson. 

They  had  had  a  splendid  morning's  collecting,  and  were 
on  their  way  back  to  camp  for  lunch,  when  Harry,  putting 
his  hand  into  the  pocket  where  he  kept  butterflies  folded 
in  papers,  quickly  took  it  out  again,  with  a  cry  of  pain. 
The  Doctor  was  the  first  to  see  that  there  were  a  dozen  or 
more  small  bright  red  ants  causing  his  agony,  and  quickly 
pulling  off  the  boy's  coat  he  dropped  it  on  the  ground,  and 
then  saturated  the  bitten  hand  with  alcohol,  which  quicker 
than  anything  else  would  kill  or  drive  his  tormentors 
away,  although  for  a  moment  it  did  add  somewhat  to  his 
suffering.  Then,  turning  his  attention  to  the  coat,  the 
Doctor  quickly  turned  the  pocket  inside  out,  with  his 
forceps,  pouring  from  it  twenty  or  twenty-five  of  what  had 
been  papers  containing  butterflies,  but  which  now  were 
simply  tattered  paper  and  torn  wings,  the  bodies  of  each 
one  having  entirely  disappeared.  With  this  mess  there 
came  out  a  few  crumbs  of  Graham  wafers,  and  these  the 
Doctor  knew  at  once  to  be  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble. 
Harry,  who  had  no  little  trouble  keeping  the  tears  back, 
so  great  was  the  pain  in  his  swollen  hand,  confessed  that  he 
had  had  three  or  four  wafers  in  that  pocket,  "just  to  nibble 
at,"  when  he  started  out,  but  that  he  had  no  idea  the  ants 
would  find  them,  and  in  such  a  short  time  as  they  must 
have  had  while  he  sat  down  on*  the  ground  just  for  a 
moment. 

"  There  is  no  telling  where  or  when  ants  will  appear  on 


Down  the  Islands  109 

the  scene  in  the  tropics,  and  they  are  so  voracious,  and  in 
such  enormous  numbers,  that  it  is  never  safe  to  trust  to 
anything  but  ceaseless  caution.  Besides  your  pain,  you 
have  lost  a  lot  of  valuable  butterflies,  as  to-day's  collecting 
was  about  the  best  we  have  had.  So,  you  see,  it  pays  to 
remember  ants  and  all  sorts  of  creeping  things  in  this  part 
of  the  world." 

"I  don't  believe  all  those  butterflies  are  ruined,"  said 
Ned,  dropping  to  his  knees  on  the  ground,  where  the 
Doctor  had  emptied  Harry's  pocket,  and  beginning  to  sort 
the  papers  over;  "and,  for  my  part,  I  think  there  is  a  lot 
of  fuss  being  made  over  a  bite  or  two  from  some  tiny 
ants." 

No  sooner  was  this  out  of  his  mouth  than  he  yelled 
out, — 

"  Jumping  grasshoppers  !  but  those  little  red  scamps 
have  hot  feet,"  and,  suiting  his  actions  to  his  words,  he 
jumped  back  as  far  as  he  could,  and  began  violently  brush- 
ing off  his  right  hand.  Then  he  continued  :  "  I  beg  your 
pardon,  Hal ;  I  had  no  idea  they  were  such  biters.  Only 
two  or  three  got  on  me  from  the  first  paper  I  picked  up, 
but  that  is  quite  enough  for  my  curiosity." 

On  the  way  back,  as  Harry's  hand  decreased  in  painful- 
ness,  he  said  :  — 

"  Are  all  parts  of  the  tropics  as  bad  as  this  with  such 
pests  ?  Shall  we  have  to  watch  for  them  this  way  every- 
where? " 

"  Most  parts  are  far  worse,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  have 
had  the  pleasure  to  find,  on  my  arrival  at  my  camp  on  the 
upper   Amazon    River,  after   a   tiresome    but    productive 


no  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

day's  collecting,  that  on  my  way  home  minute  ants  had 
even  succeeded  in  climbing  up  my  back,  on  to  my  tin 
collecting-box,  that  seemed  well-nigh  water-tight,  wedged 
their  way  inside,  and,  as  I  trudged  home,  congratulating 
myself  on  the  rare  species  captured,  were  at  that  very 
moment  tearing  them  wing  from  wing." 

"  How  do  you  account  for  the  little  demons  finding  out 
so  soon  where  there  is  food,  and  so  soon  having  a  whole 
army  on  hand  to  help  them  ? "  asked  Ned. 

"  In  the  case  of  those  that  crawled  from  my  back  into 
the  box,  it  was  largely  accidental,"  the  Doctor  replied. 
"I  had,  doubtless,  knocked  them  off  of  trees  and  bushes 
on  myself  as  I  passed.  In  Harry's  case,  he  had,  in  all 
probability,  sat  down  near  a  nest  or  a  foraging  party  of 
considerable  size.  While  he  was  there,  they  were  quick 
to  detect  the  presence  of  the  Graham  wafers  in  his  pocket, 
and  this  they  did  by  means  of  their  highly  developed  sense 
of  smell.  This,  as  Sir  John  Lubbock,  the  foremost  Eng- 
lish student  of  ant  life,  has  shown,  is  situated  mainly  in 
their  antennae.  By  delicate  experiments  he  and  others 
have  proved  that  insects,  and  especially  ants,  that  were 
excessively  acute  in  detecting  certain  odors  at  some  dis- 
tance, were  far  less  so,  and  required  much  more  time,  if 
deprived  of  their  antennae." 

"Why,  I  have  read  somewhere  that  insects'  feelers 
were  used  in  hearing,"  said  Ned. 

"  So  some  naturalists  contend,"  the  Doctor  replied,  "  and 
perhaps  with  perfect  right.  You  are  both  too  familiar 
with  the  laws  of  sight  and  sound  for  me  to  need  to  do  more 
than  remind  you  that  sounds  are  produced  by  sound  waves 


Down  the  Islands  1 1 1 

of  different  length  or  duration,  —  a  dull,  heavy  sound  being 
the  product  of  fewer  waves  to  the  given  time,  and  a  high- 
pitched  one  to  a  much  greater  number  of  waves  in  the 
same  period.  Now,  as  you  are  also  well  aware,  light  is 
also  the  product  of  waves,  the  length  of  the  light  waves 
determining  the  color  in  the  rainbow.  But  in  between 
the  very  highest  rate  of  waves  that  produce  sounds  that 
our  ears  are  capable  of  hearing,  and  the  lowest  that  pro- 
duce light  that  we  are  capable  of  seeing,  there  is  a  vast 
range  of  wave  lengths  that  make  no  perceptible  impression 
upon  us,  whatever.  Yet  there  are  excellent  reasons* 
based  on  some  careful  mechanical  experiments,  for  believ- 
ing that  these  intermediate  waves  do  make  an  impression 
on  some  insects,  and  perhaps  all ;  and  that  it  is  through 
the  antennae  that  these  impressions  are  carried  to  their  tiny 
brains." 

Late  that  afternoon  they  went  on  board  their  vessel, 
after  writing  and  mailing  letters  home,  laden  with  accounts 
of  their  daily  doings,  and  after  declining  the  kind  invita- 
tion of  the  consular  agent,  who,  Harry  said,  was  "  a  whole 
four-horse  team,  and  a  little  dog  under  the  wagon,  besides," 
to  stay  over  and  take  part  in  catching  some  wild  horses 
that  range  the  rich  and  ample  savannahs,  or  grass  plains, 
of  the  island.  The  next  morning  when  they  got  on  deck, 
they  were  out  of  sight  of  Great  Inagua,  and  the  morning 
after,  when  they  came  on  deck,  they  were  just  making  a 
harbor  in  the  island  of  Tortuga.  There  they  left  their 
new  skipper,  and  here  they  were  on  Haitian  soil,  and  for 
the  first  time  away  from  an  English-speaking  country. 
As   they  planned  their  coming  tour  through  "the  Black 


1 1 2  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

Republic,"  they  could  see  to  the  south  the  beautiful 
mountains  of  Northern  Haiti  and  imagine  themselves  a 
party  of  the  freebooters  of  two  centuries  before,  who 
made  this  island  their  favorite  meeting-place. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  EARLY  HOME  OF  THE  FREEBOOTERS 

A  Mulatto  Landlady-The  Multitudes  of  Blacks-The  Early  Natives -The 
Buccaneers -National  Hypocrisy  -  The  True  Discoverer  -  Late  Views 
of  Columbus  — Ant  Cows  — Herders  and  Protectors  of  Caterpillars  —  Ants 
versus  Wasps  — An  Alligator's  Nest  — Luring  an  Alligator  —  Full  of  Fight 
—  Ho  !  for  Haiti  —  Flying  Machines  and  their  Future 


A: 


S  they  intended  to  remain  at  Tortuga  but  a  day,  the 
•   Doctor  thought  it  hardly  worth  while  for  them  to 
pitch  their  tent  and  unpack  their  camp  outfit  for  so  short 
a  time ;  and   therefore  they  found   board,  comfortable   if 
rather  primitive,  at  the  house  of  an  elderly  dame  who  was 
of  that  uncertain  yellow  complexion  which   their  friend, 
Professor  Watson,  would   have  called  "  African  blonde." 
This  was  the   boys'  first  experience  in  living  in  a  negro 
household,  and  with  characteristic  American    squeamish- 
ness  they  felt  far  from  contented  with  the  arrangement  at 
the  first.     But  the  Doctor  soon  explained  to  them,  that  in 
their  own  northern  home  they  thought  nothing  of  eating 
the  food  prepared  by  a  colored  cook,  and  nothing  of  sleep- 
ing in  a  bed  made  by  a  colored   chambermaid ;   then,  he 
very  logically  asked,  why  should  they  object  to  the  same 
things  simply  because  they  found  them  in  a  house  owned 
by  a  colored  woman. 

"If  you  young  men,"  he  concluded,  "aspire  to  become 
thorough  naturalists  and  explorers,  you  must  put  aside  all 


1 1 4  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


these  foolish  race  prejudices  and  make  the  best  of  things  as 
they  come  to  you.  And  I  can  assure  you  that  if  you  will  try 
to  do  this  you  will  soon  come  to  regard  the  disposition  and 
comparative  refinement  of  your  landlady  or  passing  acquain- 
tance, and  not  their  skin  or  geographical  origin.  In  my 
own  case  I  have  numbered  some  of  my  best  and  most 
trusted  friends  among  men  of  African  descent." 

"  How  has  it  come  that  all  these  islands  are  so  thickly 
settled  with  black  and  brown  people  now,  Doctor,  and 
that  there  are  so  few  whites  and  no  trace  of  the  original 
Indian  inhabitants  ?  "  Ned  asked. 

"  I  have  already  explained  to  you  how  rapidly  the  cruel 
and  inhuman  methods  adopted  by  the  early  Spaniards 
towards  the  natives  of  these  islands  caused  them  to  be 
practically  depopulated  in  a  generation  or  two.  Columbus 
estimated  that  there  were  60,000  Arrawaks,  the  most 
peaceable  of  all  the  native  Americans,  living  in  Jamaica 
when  he  discovered  it.  Yet,  in  less  than  twenty-five 
years,  it  was  estimated  that  only  3000  remained.  They 
had  been  worked  to  death  in  the  mines  or  on  the  planta- 
tions, and  those  who  would  not  submit  to  this  slavery  were 
in  thousands  of  cases  put  to  death.  Of  course  when  the 
Indians  began  to  grow  scarce  and  the  need  for  laborers 
increased  with  every  year's  increase  in  Spanish  settlement, 
it  became  necessary  to  look  elsewhere  for  aid,  and  it  was 
the  most  natural  thing  to  turn  to  Africa,  and  bring  to 
these  islands  that  willing,  generally  docile,  hardship-endur- 
ing people.  They  had  been  used  to  slavery  in  their  own 
land  for  centuries,  and  bad  as  it  was,  American  slavery  was 
not  as  bad  as  that  they  had  known  in  their  own  barbarous 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters        1 1 5 

homes.  As  a  consequence  they  throve  and  multiplied, 
while  the  Indian,  who  had  never  felt  restraint  before  and 
could  not  brook  slavery,  soon  pined  away  and  left  the  land 
to  his  more  enduring  black  rival." 

"Were  all  the  natives  of  these  islands  so  very  peaceable? 
Were  there  not  some  warlike  ones  among  them  ? "  asked 
Harry. 

"  Columbus  and  other  writers  speak  of  the  Caribs,  found 
in  Haiti  and  other  islands  to  the  south,  as  very  fierce  and 
bloodthirsty,  and  we  know  that  they  were  much  dreaded 
by  the  other  islanders  and  that  they  were  cannibals.  It  is 
thought  by  some  that  the  word  cannibal  is  derived  from 
the  name  Carib.  There  are  no  longer  any  Caribs  left  in 
the  West  Indies,  although  some  half-breeds  claim  to  be 
such.  Years  ago  their  scattered  remnants  were  moved  by 
the  British  government  to  Honduras,  where  a  considerable 
number  of  them  still  live  between  the  Patook  River  and 
Belize.  They  still  retain  something  of  their  language  and 
customs." 

"Who  were  the  buccaneers,  of  whom  we  often  read, 
Doctor  ?  Were  they  natives  or  Europeans,  mostly  ? " 
asked  Ned. 

"  After  Spain  had  thoroughly  possessed  herself  of  these 
islands,  she  became  very  tyrannical  and  oppressive,  and, 
especially  among  the  English,  French,  and  Dutch  settlers 
who  had  been  attracted  here,  there  grew  up  a  hatred  for 
her  misrule  and  oppression,  which  finally  broke  out  in 
open  rebellion  and  lawlessness.  The  few  natives  then  left 
were  very  skilful  in  preserving  meat  by  fire  and  smoke 
in   their    little    smoke-houses,    called,   in    their   language, 


1 1 6  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

'boucans.'  The  Spanish  government  placed  a  heavy  tax 
on  all  butchering  and  exacted  a  heavy  license  from  all  who 
sold  the  cured  meats  brought  from  Spain,  and,  therefore, 
a  secret  trade  in  this  native-made  '  boucanned '  meat 
sprang  up.  The  adventurers  who  rebelled  against  the 
authority  of  Spain  learned  this  trade  from  the  natives,  and 
they  became  adepts  in  this  illegal  butcher  trade,  which 
paid  no  tax  to  Spain,  and  were  soon  known  far  and  wide 
as  '  boucanners,'  which,  as  you  can  see,  was  easily  changed 
into  buccaneers. 

"  In  time  more  serious  things  than  the  meat  trade  were 
made  the  excuse  for  the  lawlessness  that  these  men  prac- 
tised, and  in  a  little  while,  when  Protestant  England  fitted 
out  piratical  expeditions  to  take  the  power  in  these  islands 
from  Catholic  Spain,  religion  became  the  avowed  motive, 
although  the  old  name  for  the  native  butchers  remained. 
In  time  the  Dutch  name  frie-boter,  'free  plunderer,'  was 
used  instead,  and  from  it  we  get  our  word  freebooter. 
The  records  of  these  men,  as  set  forth  in  the  writings  of 
Father  Labat,  John  Oexmelic  (commonly  called  Esque- 
meling),  and  others,  read  more  like  the  wildest  tales  of 
imagination  than  the  truth  ;  but  those  were  strange  days, 
and  these  waters  we  are  now  looking  upon  have  seen 
sights  never  again  to  be  seen  in  this  world.  This  island  of 
Tortuga  was  the  chief  seat  of  power  and  of  warfare  for  the 
freebooters  for  over  a  hundred  years,  and  there  are  few 
spots  of  its  size  anywhere  in  the  world  that  have  seen  an 
equal  amount  of  bloodshed  in  the  same  space  of  time." 

"How  did  it  come  about,  Doctor,  that  these  islands, 
which,  I  have  read,  Spain    took  possession  of   so    as   to 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters       1 1 7 


convert  them  to  the  Christian  religion,  were  for  so  many 
years  the  places  where  so  much  wickedness  and  murder 

went  on  ?  " 

"  Spain,  like  all  other  lands  of  that  time,  and  this  time  as 
well,  made  the  conversion  of  native  peoples  the  excuse  for 
acquiring  new  lands  from  which  she  hoped  to  take  gold 
and  precious  stones.  She,  as  a  nation,  cared  nothing  what- 
ever for  the  souls  of  the  poor  wretches  she  conquered. 
You  may  see  the  same  thing  to-day.  In  the  name  of 
Christianity  England  uses  Gatling  and  Maxim  guns  to 
plough  down  the  Zulus,  Matabeles,  and  the  natives  beyond 
Sikkim  Pass  ;  Germany  in  Zanzibar  and  in  the  Cameroon 
territory  does  the  same  ;  and  France  in  Siam,  and  Belgium 
on  the  Congo,  have  no  better  record.  Our  own  land  is 
the  only  one  of  the  Great  Powers  that  has  not  this  sin  to 

answer  for. 

"  Nothing  shows  how  hollow  were  the  pretences  of 
Spain,"  the  Doctor  continued,  "  better  than  Columbus's 
own  words.  Writing  of  these  islands  to  his  sovereigns  in 
Spain,  he  said:  'This  country  excels  all  others  as  far  as 
the  day  surpasses  the  night  in  splendor ;  the  natives  love 
their  neighbors  as  themselves  ;  their  conversation  is  the 
sweetest  imaginable  ;  their  faces  always  smiling  ;  and  so 
gentle  and  affectionate  are  they,  that  I  swear  to  your  high- 
nesses there  is  not  a  better  people  in  the  world.'  Yet 
almost  before  the  children  of  these  people  he  so  highly 
praised  had  grown  to  manhood,  all  had  practically  per- 
ished from  off  the  earth,  owing  to  the  slavery 
and  tortures  which  he  devised  and  set  to  work.  It 
was    a    sad    day    for    these    simple    islanders    when    the 


1 1 8  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

first    sight    of    their    land   was    caught    by    Rodrigo    de 

T>> 
nana. 

"  Triana  !  Why,  I  thought  Columbus  himself  discovered 
the  land,"  said  Harry. 

"  There  had  been  a  reward  of  10,000  marivedis  as  an 
annual  pension  offered  by  the  Spanish  crown  to  the  man 
who  first  saw  land,  and  when  Columbus  saw  that  this  sum, 
which  was  only  about  $30  in  our  money,  was  to  go  to 
Triana,  who  first  called  out  the  land  that  night,  at  2  a.m., 
he  claimed  to  have  seen  a  flickering  light  moving  back  and 
forth  some  hours  before,  and  on  the  strength  of  that  claim 
kept  the  money  for  himself,  although  he  was  to  be  made 
by  his  discoveries  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  of  his 
time." 

That  afternoon  they  took  a  stroll  along  one  of  the  roads 
leading  into  the  interior  of  the  island,  finally  following  a 
trail  into  a  jungle  of  thick  tropical  growth,  where  the 
Doctor  told  them  they  were  likely  to  find  rare  beetles, 
because  some  one  had  been  chopping  down  some  timber, 
and  beetles  dearly  love  the  neighborhood  of  piles  of  bark 
and  fresh  chips.  As  they  were  walking  along,  poking  into 
a  heap  on  one  hand,  and  examining  the  flowers  of  some 
plant  on  the  other,  Harry  suddenly  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Come  here,  quick,  Doctor !  See  what  I've  found. 
Hundreds  of  these  pestiferous  ants  eating  up  some  sort 
of  caterpillar.  No  wonder  butterflies  are  so  scarce  here, 
if  that's  what  becomes  of  their  young  ones  !  " 

"Slowly,  my  boy.  Don't  jump  at  conclusions,"  the 
Doctor  said,  as  he  and  Ned  joined  Harry  at  the  side  of  a 
tall  Cassia,  or  false  sensitive-plant,  whereon  scores  of  ants 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters       1 1 9 


were  rapidly  running  from  place  to  place,  among  a  large 
colony  of  small  caterpillars.  "  Be  sure  you  see  one  of  the 
ants  doing  a  caterpillar  any  harm,  before  you  charge,  try, 
and  hang  them  as  murderers  !  Here,  take  this  large  mag- 
nifying-glass  and  see  what  you  can  see  through  that." 

Harry,  feeling  from  the  Doctor's  words  that  he  had 
made  some  error  in  his  first  judgment,  carefully  bent  over 
one  of  the  leaves  on  which  there  were  many  of  both  kinds 
of  insects,  and  for  some  moments  did  not  utter  a  word. 
When,  at  last,  he  did  speak,  he  had  a' very  different  ver- 
dict to  render. 

"This  tropical  country  is  the  queerest  place  I  ever 
dreamt  of.  I'll  be  switched  if  those  ants  don't  walk  up 
to  the  caterpillars  and  pat  them  on  the  backs  with  their 
feelers,  and  the  caterpillars  show  no  signs  of  worry  or 
fear  at  all.  I  can't  see  what  makes  them  such  good 
friends  ;  but  there  don't  seem  to  be  any  signs  of  their 
being  enemies." 

"You  take  the  glass,  Ned,  and  see  whether  you  can 
see  any  reason  for  this  seeming  friendship,"  was  the 
Doctor's  only  comment. 

This  the  other  boy  did,  examining  several  of  the  leaves 
and  their  tiny  inhabitants  with  the  greatest  care.  Finally 
he  tried  to  drive  the  ants  from  one  of  the  leaves  with  his 
finger,  but  the  quick  way  in  which  he  withdrew  it  showed 
that  the  bond  of  friendship  between  the  two  very  differ- 
ent insects  was  such  as  to  call  for  aggressive  measures  on 
the  part  of  the  ants. 

"  My,  how  those  little  rascals  can  bite !  "  he  said,  shak- 
ing his  finger.     "  I   can  only  see  what  Hal  saw  ;  plenty 


I2o  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


of  signs  of  affection  on  the  part  of  the  ants,  and  entire 
indifference  on  the  part  of  the  caterpillars,  who  go  right 
on  feeding.     But  I  can't  see  any  cause  for  such  strange 

antics." 

"Hal,  take  this  smaller  glass,"  the  Doctor  said;    "you 
will  have  to  get  closer  to  the  leaf,  and  will  not  see  so  big 
an  area  at  once ;  but  it  is  more  powerful  than  the  other. 
Now  I  will  tell  you  both  what  to  look  for,  and  I  think 
then  you  will  understand  this  performance,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  interesting  in  the  insect  world.     Now  look  at 
one  of  the  caterpillars,  and  you  will  see   that  near  the 
hinder  end  of  each,  and  right  on  top,  there  are  little  tubes 
projecting  upwards,   and  then  you  will  notice  that  it  is 
always  to  this  end  that  the  ant  approaches  with  its  pats 
and  caresses.     Watch  one  of  the  ants  very  carefully,  now. 
Doesn't  it  pat  with  its  antennae,  or  feelers,  right  on  or 
around  those  tubes?     Now,  watch  the  upper  end  of  the 
tube,  and  I'll  wager  that  you'll  each  see  a  little  drop  of  a 
honey-yellow  fluid  appear  there  ;   and  it  will  then  be  easy 
enough,  when  you  see  the  ant  carefully  suck  up  all  this 
fluid  and  run  off  to  repeat  the  performance  with  another 
caterpillar,  to  understand  what  the  bond  of  friendship  is. 
For  these  caterpillars  are  simply  the  cows  of  the  ants,  and 
the  thick,  gummy,  and  very  sweet  fluid  which  then  exudes 
from  those  tiny  tubes  is  a  sort  of   honey-milk  on  which 
these  ants  mainly  subsist,  and  their  antennae  are  simply 
used  in  this  way  to  milk  their  caterpillar  cattle." 

As  the  Doctor  finished  speaking,  both  boys  looked  up 
from  the  colonies  of  caterpillars  they  had  been  watching, 
and  Ned  eagerly  asked,  — 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters        1 2 1 


"  But  where  do  the  '  cows  '  come  in  ?  I  can  see  that 
this  is  very  nice  for  the  ants,  but  I  don't  see  what  the 
caterpillars  gain  by  it  all." 

"If  you  boys  will  find  me  two  or  three  'lady-bugs,'  or 
other  specimens  of  the  Coccinelidce  family  of  beetles,  I  will 
soon  prove  to  you  that  the  caterpillars  are  even  greater 
gainers  than  the  ants  by  this  friendship,"  the  Doctor 
replied.  And  as  they  went  off,  looking  over  the  leaves 
and  twigs  of  bushes  for  what  they  wanted,  he  deftly 
picked  some  of  the  caterpillars  off  of  the  leaves  with  his 
forceps,  and  deposited  them  in  a  pill-box,  which  he  placed 
in  his  pocket. 

In  a  few  moments  each  of  the  boys  was  back  with  two 
or  three  lady-bugs  ;  and  taking  one  of  these  the  Doctor 
carefully  dropped  it  into  the  pill-box  in  which  were  the 
caterpillars,  holding  it  so  that  both  boys  could  watch  the 
result.  No  sooner  had  the  beetle  touched  the  bottom  of 
the  box  than  it  grabbed  one  of  the  caterpillars,  and  fasten- 
ing its  hard  jaws  in  the  fleshy  sides  of  the  helpless  crea- 
ture, began  to  extract  the  life  juices  from  it.  Then  taking 
another  beetle,  he  carefully  held  it  over  a  leaf  whereon 
there  were  a  large  number  of  caterpillars  being  guarded 
by  a  score  or  more  of  ants,  and  gently  dropped  it.  Again 
the  beetle  made  a  rush  for  a  caterpillar,  but  it  was  not  so 
quick  as  a  dozen  ants,  which  rushed  for  it  and  began  so 
savagely  attacking  it,  that  the  poor  lady-bug,  after  trying 
to  fly  away  with  its  burden  of  biting  and  tearing  ants, 
relinquished  its  hold  upon  the  leaf  and  rolled  to  the 
ground,  where  it  was  no  better  off,  as  Harry  discovered, 
reporting  that  the  ants  were  tearing  it  to  pieces  while  he 


122  The  Biitterjly  Hunters 


watched  them  with  the  glass.  This  experiment  the  Doc- 
tor tried  several  times,  and  in  each  case  the  result  was 
the  same,  save  in  one,  where  the  lady-bug,  evidently 
knowing  what  to  expect,  quickly  flew  away  before  the 
ants  could  reach  it,  and  without  paying  any  attention  to 
the  caterpillars. 

"  How  long  do  you  think  this  species  of  caterpillar, 
which  is  that  of  the  beautiful  little  sky-blue  butterfly, 
Lyccena  marina,  of  which  we  have  caught  so  many  fine 
specimens,  would  last  if  they  did  not  have  the  ants  to 
defend  them  ? "  the  Doctor  asked. 

"Not  very  long,  I  am  sure!"  Ned  replied.  "This  is 
really  the  most  wonderful  thing.  Why  don't  we  have 
such  wonderful  species  at  home,  Doctor?  why  are  they 
all  in  the  warm  countries  ? " 

"  They  are  not,"  was  the  reply.  "  There  are  two  species 
of  this  same  genus  of  butterflies  in  your  State,  which  are 
thus  shielded  from  harm  by  ants,  and  there  are  a  number 
of  species  of  plant-lice  and  of  tree-hoppers  that  are  also 
protected  in  the  same  way.  It  is  common  everywhere, 
yet  there  are  few  who  observe  so  carefully  as  ever  to  have 
seen  it.  I  have  been  wondering  for  some  days  that 
neither  of  you  has  seen  this  before  ;  for,  now  that  it  is 
known  to  you,  you  will  find  it  occurring  on  every  hand." 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  us  of  it?"  asked  Harry.  "We 
might  never  have  seen  it." 

"  All  I  propose  to  do  is  to  teach  you  how  to  observe, 
take  you  where  you  can  observe,  and  help  you  to  under- 
stand what  you  have  observed.  If  I  were  to  keep  point- 
ing out  all  the  new  things  for  you,  you  would  soon   fall 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters       123 

into  the  habit  of  depending  on  me.  Then  you  would  grow 
unobserving,  and,  in  a  certain  sense,  indolent.  Don't 
forget  the  flamingoes,  and  the  two  brave  hunters  with  only 
dust-shot  in  their  guns  !  Of  course,  I  will  not  let  you 
leave  a  locality  where  there  is  something  to  be  seen,  that 
you  can  see  nowhere  else,  without  pointing  it  out  ;  but 
otherwise  you  will  have  to  wait  to  find  things  out  with 
your  own  observing  powers.  These  are  already  remark- 
ably good,  considering  your  years  and  experience ;  but 
they  will  now  improve  rapidly  with  constant  use." 

"  Do  the  leaf-hoppers  that  receive  this  care  from  the 
ants  give  them  honey  in  the  same  way  ? "  asked  Harry. 

"Yes,  much  the  same;  only  more  of  it.  The  'honey- 
dew  '  which  is  so  often  found  on  trees  and  shrubs  in  great 
quantities,  in  the  early  mornings,  and  which  the  honey- 
bees seek  so  eagerly  for  their  use,  is  the  product  of  these 
and  the  plant-lice.  The  mother  tree-hopper  deposits  her 
eggs  in  little  clusters  in  a  cottony  nest,  and  over  this  she 
stands  guard,  until  her  young  are  hatched.  Then  her 
instinct  tells  her  that  it  is  safe  to  leave  them  to  the  care 
of  the  ants,  and  she  does  so.  The  ants  may  be  found 
guarding  them  in  every  stage,  from  the  tiny  newly  hatched, 
to  the  nearly  grown  individual,  about  ready  to  get  wings. 
In  some  cases  I  have  observed  wasps,  which  are  as  fond 
of  this  honey  as  are  the  ants,  trying  to  possess  themselves 
of  it ;  but  as  they  dare  not  light  on  the  leaf,  for  fear  a 
horde  of  ants  will  grapple  with  them  and  inflict  deadly 
bites,  they  attempt  to  brush  all  the  ants  away  by  fly- 
ing repeatedly  at  them,  and  brushing  them  off"  with 
their   legs.      But  as  there  are  endless  reinforcements  of 


124  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

the  ants,  the  wasp  usually  gives  up  the  job  as  too  much 
for  him." 

On  their  way  home  they  came  back  by  the  shores  of  a 
lagoon  or  salt-water  pond,  and  the  Doctor  cautioned  them 
to  proceed  very  carefully,  as  they  might  be  able  to  see  an 
alligator.  This  was  a  promise  of  such  big  and  exciting 
game,  that  one  word  of  caution  was  all  that  was  necessary, 
and  they  tiptoed  their  way  along,  hardly  daring  to  breathe, 
and  taking  the  utmost  care  to  escape  all  dead  sticks  or 
other  objects  that  would  make  a  noise  and  announce  their 
presence. 

Suddenly  the  Doctor,  who  was  in  the  lead,  stopped,  and 
pointing  to  a  pile  of  dead  sticks  and  leaves  at  one  side, 
said  in  a  whisper  that  it  was  a  last  season's  nest,  but  of 
course  was  empty  now.  So  they  found  it,  but  they  could 
see  that  it  had  been  carefully  made,  and  was  not  a  mere 
drift-pile,  as  they  at  first  thought.  But  there  were  no 
alligators  in  sight,  look  as  carefully  as  they  might ;  at  least, 
so  both  the  boys  assured  the  Doctor. 

"  I  brought  a  couple  of  alligator  eggs  along  in  my  game- 
pocket,"  the  Doctor  said.  "  Our  landlady  lent  them  to 
me,  and  I  thought  we  might  be  glad  to  have  them  along, 
as  they  are  the  best  sort  of  alligator  bait,  as  you  shall 
see."  Saying  which,  he  took  out  of  his  pocket  two  eggs 
somewhat  larger  than  a  hen's  egg,  and  of  a  very  rough, 
porcelain-like  surface  and  thick  shell,  that  had  been  blown. 
Taking  one  of  these  in  each  hand,  he  began  rubbing  them 
violently  together,  making  a  hollow  sound  something  like 
the  clashing  together  of  broken  plates,  at  the  same  time 
saying,  — 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters       125 

"  Watch  the  water  over  the  other  side,  there,  near  that 
floating  log." 

At  the  very  first  sound,  the  old,  water-soaked  piece  of 
timber,  that  was  floating  so  deep  as  to  be  scarcely  visible, 
turned  directly  towards  them,  and,  much  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  boys,  began  to  approach  rapidly.  In  a  few 
moments  it  had  crossed  the  pond,  and  by  the  time  it  was 
ready  to  come  out  on  the  shore,  the  boys  saw  that  it  had 
the  bulging  eyes  and  saw-toothed  back  of  an  alligator,  and 
was  a  much  more  formidable  object  than  a  stick  of  wood. 
As  it  came  out  upon  the  sand,  the  Doctor  advanced  toward 
it,  with  a  heavy  stick  of  wood  in  his  right  hand,  slipping 
the  eggs  into  his  pocket  again  as  he  did  so. 

"An  alligator  on  shore  is  most  dangerous  with  its  tail," 
he  remarked  to  the  boys,  who  stayed  behind,  watching  him 
eagerly.  "  Although  this  one  is  only  about  eight  feet  long, 
she  could,  probably,  break  my  legs,  should  she  get  a 
chance  at  them  with  a  swish  of  her  tail.  Of  course  that 
mouth  of  hers  would  soon  dispose  of  me  in  the  water,  by 
dragging  me  down  under  the  surface  and  holding  me  there 
until  I  was  drowned  ;  but  on  land  it  is  very  easy  to  dodge 
it.  With  the  tail,  however,  they  are  wonderously  quick, 
and  it  is  dangerous  business  getting  within  its  reach." 

As  he  was  saying  this,  he  advanced  slowly  towards  the 
hideous-looking  creature,  which  lay  quietly  facing  him  at 
the  edge  of  the  water,  showing  no  signs  of  life  other  than 
one  gap,  which  displayed  a  terrible  array  of  teeth  in  a 
mouth  that  appeared  to  be  quite  one-third  its  whole  length. 
Whether  it  realized  that  alligator  eggs  were  out  of  season, 
or  whether  it  saw  something  dangerous  in  the  Doctor's 


126  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

eyes,  it  did  not  wait  for  him  to  get  to  it,  but  turning 
slowly,  slid  off  into  the  water. 

"  Well,  she  was  a  coward  !  "  laughed  the  Doctor.  "  But 
that  wouldn't  end  quite  so  pleasantly  on  some  Amazonian 
waters,  for  instance.  There,  I  once  found  a  nest  with 
seventeen  eggs  in  it,  and  though  I  handled  them  with  the 
greatest  care,  —  for  I  did  not  care  to  attract  the  mother,  — 
I  knocked  two  of  them  together  slightly,  and  in  a  jiffy  was 
confronted  with  an  alligator  over  fifteen  feet  long  and  as 
full  of  fight  as  a  cross  bull.  Fortunately  I  had  a  rifle  with 
me ;  so  its  skin  is  now  in  the  Museum  at  Berlin." 

"What  do  they  make  nests  for?  they  don't  sit  on  their 
eggs  to  hatch  them,  do  they  ?  "  asked  Harry. 

"  No,  they  depend  on  the  sun's  heat ;  but  the  nest  serves 
to  raise  the  eggs  from  the  damp  ground  and,  no  doubt,  the 
leaves  add  to  the  heat  by  their  decaying.  They  usually 
lay  about  twenty  eggs,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  where 
there  is  a  nest  there  is  always  a  mother  alligator  near 
enough  to  hear  the  peculiar  noise  made  by  the  eggs  rub- 
bing together.  Many  animals  like  alligators'  eggs  ;  some 
monkeys  take  them  up  into  trees  and  drop  them  so  far 
that  they  break,  after  which  they  descend  and  eat  the  con- 
tents. But  it  takes  a  crafty  and  quick  animal  to  get  away 
with  more  than  one  from  a  nest  before  the  watchful  mother 
appears." 

"  Are  alligators'  eggs  eaten  by  men  ?  "  asked  Harry. 

"Very  frequently,  and  many  people  like  them.  I  do 
not ;  they  are  too  oily  or  greasy.  As  to  alligator  flesh, 
that  is  abominable.  I  have  had  to  eat  it  several  times 
when  there  was  no  other  animal  food  to  take  its  place ; 


The  Early  Home  of  the  Freebooters       127 

but  I  have  never  been  able  to  learn  to  like  it,  for  it  is  very 
rank  and  muddy  in  taste.  But  on  the  Orinoco  and  upper 
Amazon  the  natives  highly  prize  it  at  certain  seasons. 
They  hold  the  fattest  pieces  over  the  fire,  each  man  being 
his  own  cook,  and  turn  them  until  very  well  done." 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  they  set  sail  for  the 
near-by  coast  of  Haiti,  which  was  plainly  in  sight,  the  tall, 
well-wooded,  rounded  hills  presenting  a  fine  contrast  to  the 
flat  and  sandy  islands  among  which  they  had  been  sailing. 

"This  seems  to  be  a  case,"  Ned  suddenly  remarked, 
when  they  were  about  half  there,  "when  a  flying-machine 
or  a  balloon  would  be  a  handy  thing  to  have.  With  the 
wind  in  our  favor,  as  it  now  is,  we  would  be  able  to  get 
across  here  in  short  order,  in  a  balloon." 

"  The  recent  discoveries  of  Professor  Langley,  director  of 
our  National  Museum  at  Washington,  and  of  Mr.  Maxim, 
the  inventor  of  the  machine-gun  that  fires  so  rapidly, 
indicate  that  in  a  very  few  years  we  shall  be  in  posses- 
sion of  a  flying-engine  or  machine  at  least  capable  of 
carrying  two  or  three  persons,"  the  Doctor  said.  "But 
there  will  be  no  balloon  about  it.  A  receptacle  large 
enough  to  hold  the  gas  required  for  a  safe  ascension  is  far 
too  big  to  be  manageable  in  a  stiff  wind  ;  at  best  it  can  only 
drift  with  the  air  current.  But  our  inventors  are  just  on 
the  verge  of  perfecting  the  details  of  machines  whereby 
we  shall  fly  on  the  same  principle  as  do  the  birds,  although 
we  shall  need  to  have  such  light  artificial  power  to  aid  us  as 
will  come  from  a  small  electric  dynamo  or  an  oil  engine. 
Nature  has  not  made  flying  birds  to  weigh  over  thirty-five 
pounds,  and  there  are  physical  impossibilities  believed  to 


128  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

be  in  the  way  of  man  flying  by  his  own  unaided  strength. 
The  principles  on  which  such  flying  will  be  possible  are 
now  well  understood  and  are  very  simple ;  what  we  now 
wait  for  is  the  perfection  of  mechanical  details  that  will  put 
these  principles  into  use.  But  I  venture  to  predict  that 
before  you  boys  are  beyond  young  manhood  or  before  this 
century  is  ended,  in  all  probability,  flying-machines  will 
be  no  more  of  an  innovation  than  were  bicycles  fifteen 
years  ago." 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   BLACK    REPUBLIC 

A  Glimpse  at  Haitian  History  — The  Most  Degraded  Land  in  Christendom  — 
A  Study  in  Human  Government  —  An  Old  Friend  —  Elisha — A  Dark 
View  of  Haiti  —  Vaudoux  Witchcraft  —  "  Haiti,"  its  Derivation  and  Spell- 
ing—  A  Creole  Dinner  —  An  Array  of  Fruit  —  "Matrimony"  —  A  Pet 
Lizard 

THAT  afternoon,  after  the  boys  had  lunched  at  the 
hotel  in  Port  a  Paix,  the  Doctor  proposed  that  they 
take  a  stroll  along  the  coast  road  and  collect,  while  he  gave 
them  a  brief  insight  into  the  history  of  the  country  in 
which  they  expected  to  spend  the  next  two  or  three  weeks. 
This  they  readily  assented  to  ;  for  already  they  were  filled 
with  curiosity  to  know  something  of  a  people  whose  life, 
conversation,  and  manners  appeared  to  be  so  different 
from  any  with  which  they  were  yet  acquainted.  When, 
after  walking  some  distance  out  of  the  town,  and  having 
attracted  much  curiosity  from  the  natives  by  their  nets 
and  collecting-outfit,  they  came  to  a  stretch  of  country 
where  there  seemed  to  be  no  one  to  annoy  or  overhear 
them,  the  Doctor  told  them  something  of  Haitian  history. 
"  The  Spaniards  having  converted  all  the  natives  on  the 
island  of  Hispaniola,  by  working  them  to  death  in  their 
mines  and  plantations,  filled  their  places  with  countless 
hordes  of  African  slaves,  who,  having  been  used  to  slavery 
for  centuries  in  their  own  country,  were  of  tougher  consti- 
k  129 


130  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

tution.  For  nearly  two  hundred  years  the  Spanish  colo- 
nies on  this  island  throve,  cities  grew,  mammoth  estates 
were  cultivated,  and  Santo  Domingo,  as  the  island  had 
come  to  be  known,  was  justly  considered  the  richest  spot 
in  the  Western  World.  Then  the  western  and  most  valu- 
able half  of  the  island  was  taken  from  the  Spaniards  by 
the  buccaneers  and  became  the  French  province  of  Haiti. 
When  the  French  Revolution  broke  out,  slavery  could  not 
be  allowed  to  remain  as  a  blot  in  French  dominions,  and 
the  blacks,  then  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  inhabitants, 
were  freed  and  declared  citizens.  Immediately  the  blacks 
signalled  their  coming  into  freedom  by  the  massacre  of 
the  whole  French  population  —  men,  women,  and  children. 
"  Napoleon  sent  here  an  army  to  overpower  the  negro 
hordes,  most  of  whom  had  no  knowledge  beyond  that  of 
hoeing  cane  or  making  sugar,  and  none  whatever  of  warfare. 
These  took  to  their  heels,  and  while  they  hid  in  the  impas- 
sable jungles  of  the  interior  mountains  the  deadly  yellow 
fever  fought  their  battles  for  them  and  finally  forced  the  then 
unconquered  Napoleon  to  admit  that  the  Haitian  climate 
was  greater  than  he,  and  that  he  could  not  afford  to  send 
here  tens  of  thousands  of  troops  to  die  before  they  had  ever 
caught  sight  of  the  enemy.  France  having  given  up  all 
hope  of  regaining  control  over  her  colony,  both  England 
and  Spain  tried  their  hands  at  conquering  it  ;  but  they, 
too,  soon  saw  that  the  cake  was  not  worth  the  penny, 
although  they  were  both  anxious  to  re-enslave  the  blacks 
here,  because  they  feared  the  effect  of  a  large  country 
filed  with  free  blacks  so  near  their  slave-holding  colonies 
of  Jamaica  and  Cuba.     This  was  about  one  hundred  years 


The  Black  Republic  131 

ago,  and  I  cannot  sum  up  the  outcome  of  the  bloody  cen- 
tury just  ending  better  than  to  quote  the  words  of  Mr. 
James  Anthony  Froude,  the  great  historian." 

Taking  a  book  from  his  pocket,  the  Doctor  read  as 
follows  :  — 

"  Haiti  has  thus  for  nearly  a  century  been  a  black  inde- 
pendent state.  The  negro  race  have  had  it  to  themselves 
and  have  not  been  interfered  with.  They  were  equipped 
when  they  started  on  their  career  of  freedom  with  the 
Catholic  religion,  a  civilized  language,  European  laws  and 
manners,  and  the  knowledge  of  various  arts  and  occupa- 
tions which  they  had  learnt  while  they  were  slaves.  They 
speak  French  still ;  they  are  nominally  Catholics  still ; 
and  the  tags  and  rags  of  the  gold  lace  of  French  civiliza- 
tion continue  to  cling  about  their  institutions.  But  in  the 
heart  of  them  has  revived  the  old  idolatry  of  the  Gold 
Coast,  and  in  the  villages  of  the  interior,  where  they  are 
out  of  sight  and  can  follow  their  instincts,  they  sacrifice 
children  in  the  serpent's  honor  after  the  manner  of  their 
forefathers.  Perhaps  nothing  could  be  expected  from  a 
liberty  which  was  inaugurated  by  assassination  and 
plunder.  Political  changes  which  prove  successful  do  not 
begin  in  that  way." 

"  During  the  century  just  past,"  continued  the  Doctor, 
"  Haiti  has  seen  nearly  fifty  different  rebellions,  and  she 
has  only  known  peace  when  some  one  of  the  number, 
stronger  in  mind  than  the  others,  has  seized  upon  the 
presidential  office  and  become  a  tyrant  who  put  to  death 
all  who  dared  to  breathe  a  word  opposed  to  him.  And 
that    sort  of   enforced  peace  has  only  lasted  as  long  as 


132  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


his  combined  enemies  have  been  prevented  from  putting 
a  stop  to  his  rule  by  the  aid  of  the  poisoned  cup  or  stiletto. 
Then  they  have  gone  to  work  again  quarrelling  among 
themselves.  The  land  in  which  we  are  now  going  to  live 
for  a  little  while  can  truthfully  be  charged  with  having 
seen  more  useless  bloodshed  and  savage  crime  than  any 
other  in  the  Western  Hemisphere.  So,  too,  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  to-day  it  is  the  most  degraded  and  most  hopelessly 
wicked  land  in  Christendom. 

"  Your  father  and  I  agreed  that  it  would  be  worth  while 
for  you  to  spend  some  time  here,  both  on  account  of  its 
rich  natural  history  and  its  remarkable  population.  Ever 
since  our  late  war  in  the  States,  what  is  known  as  '  the 
negro  question  '  has  been  of  prime  importance  in  our  gov- 
ernment ;  and  it  seems  to  bid  fair  to  grow  in  importance 
for  some  time  to  come.  In  no  way  can  you  better  obtain 
a  just  idea  of  how  the  negro  must  not  be  treated  or  allowed 
to  treat  himself,  and  of  how  he  should  be,  than  by  first  see- 
ing this  island  and  then  visiting  Jamaica.  Here  we  shall 
see  the  black,  freed  from  all  white  government,  going  down 
to  the  depths  of  superstition  and  idolatry  ;  there  we  shall 
see  the  same  people  prospering  under  the  council  and  aid 
of  the  whites.  It  is,  therefore,  that  most  important  species 
of  the  mammal  family,  Man,  Homo  sapiens,  to  which  we  are 
to  give  our  principal  attention  here. 

"  But  you  must  always  remember  that  it  is  not  safe  to 
seem  too  curious  about  the  doings  of  these  people ;  for 
they  are  very  suspicious  of  the  whites,  and,  without  doubt, 
there  will  be  some  in  the  interior,  where  we  shall  soon 
go,  who  would  quickly  resent  our  regarding  them  as  an 


The  Black  Republic  133 

interesting  study.  We  must  seem  to  make  butterfly- 
hunting  our  first  and  only  motive  for  being  here  ;  and, 
especially,  you  must  carefully  refrain  from  laughing  at 
them  or  their  ways,  unless  you  are  sure  they  want  to  be 
laughed  at." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  when  you  say  they  would  resent 
our  studying  them,  Doctor  ?  How  would  they  resent  it  ?  " 
asked  Ned. 

"They  have  a  very  wholesome  dread  of  the  United 
States,  and  therefore  there  would  be  no  danger  of  any 
criminal  act  against  us  near  the  coast.  But  I  do  not  for 
one  moment  doubt  that  there  are  scores  of  ignorant  blacks 
a  little  way  back  in  the  mountains  who  would  not  hesitate 
one  moment  to  poison  our  food  or  our  water  in  retaliation 
for  any  fancied  slight  or  injury." 

"  Gracious  !  I  guess  this  is  a  pretty  good  island  to  dodge  ; 
it  looks  to  me  as  though  we'd  have  done  better  to  take  the 
1  Ailsa '  at  Fortune  Island  and  go  straight  on  to  Jamaica," 
said  Harry,  with  a  nervous  laugh. 

"By  no  means,"  the  Doctor  replied.  "  You  boys  have 
the  full  use  of  your  minds  ;  you  have  good  memories,  a 
fair  control  of  your  faces,  and  ought  to  know  when  to  mind 
your  own  affairs.  This  part  of  our  trip  will  not  only  be 
very  useful  to  you,  for  the  reason  already  explained,  but  it 
will  be  an  excellent  training  in  some  of  the  more  difficult 
features  of  an  explorer's  life,  teaching  the  very  useful 
lesson  of  how  to  get  along  comfortably  with  very  uncomfort- 
able people.  I  have  been  studying  you  young  men  with 
the  utmost  care,  and  I  would  not  have  brought  you  here 
had  I  not  felt  sure  that  you  were  quite  equal  to  doing  as 


134  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

well  as  any  one  under  the  circumstances.  I  shall  write  to 
your  father  to-night  and  assure  him  that,  as  I  am  so  sure 
you  are  the  stuff  of  which  true  explorers  and  naturalists 
are  made,  I  start  on  the  Haitian  part  of  our  trip  with 
perfect  confidence." 

"  Well,  I  guess  after  that  send-off  we  can't  help  but  do 
our  best,"  said  Ned.  "  You  are  a  good  deal  like  our 
teacher  of  mathematics  at  school,  Doctor.  He  puts  us 
on  our  best  behavior  by  telling  us  that  if  we  can't  do  a 
thing,  no  class  can,  and  we  always  get  it  done,  it  seems. 
You  needn't  worry  about  our  being  all  eyes  and  ears, 
without  these  suspicious  Haitians  ever  guessing  it.  We'll 
show  the  Doctor  how  we  can  do  the  great  '  Hawkshaw,  the 
detective  '  act,  won't  we,  Hal  ?  " 

"  Indeed  we  will ;  and  now  is  a  good  time  to  begin,  I 
guess.  That  black  fellow  over  there  has  been  watching  us 
for  about  ten  minutes  in  a  very  queer  way,  Doctor,"  Harry 
replied. 

Looking  in  the  direction  indicated,  the  Doctor  had  no 
more  than  taken  in  the  squat  form  and  broad  black  face 
of  their  new-found  spy,  when  he  smiled  and  shouted  :  — 

"  Hello,  Dave  !  Why,  this  is  good  luck  to  see  you  here ! 
Why,  man,  I  thought  you  were  living  in  the  States."  As 
he  said  this  he  advanced  quickly,  and  meeting  the  negro 
half-way,  shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand.  Then,  turning 
to  the  boys,  he  said  :  — 

"Ned,  Harry,  this  is  Mr.  David  Benton,  of  Savannah, 
Georgia.  Dave,  these  are  the  two  young  Masters  Dawson 
who  are  taking  a  trip  with  me,  collecting  butterflies  and  all 
such  things,  just  as  you  remember  I  like  to  do.     Boys,  you 


The  Black  Republic  135 

remember  that  only  yesterday  I  told  you  that  among  my 
many  good  friends  in  different  parts  of  the  world  I  numbered 
some  black  ones  among  the  best  of  them.  Dave,  here,  is 
one  of  the  very  best  of  the  best,  and  it  does  me  good  to 
see  his  fat,  jolly  face  again.  Say,  you  old  sea-dog,  what 
are  you  doing  down  here  ? "  he  added,  turning  again  to  the 
negro,  who  stood  by  with  twinkling  eyes  and  a  mammoth 
grin. 

"  Well,  yo'  see,  Massah  Doctah,  dat  my  ole  'oman  didn't 
tak  no  shine  to  de  State  of  Georgy,  and  nowhere  we  moved 
seemed  like  it  suited  her  nohow.  So  when  I  see  dat  she 
begin  a'pinin'  and  a'sorrowin'  fer  dis  yer  home  islan'  o' 
hers,  I  jes'  packed  up  all  our  vallebuls  and  came  down  yer 
to  lib.  It  don'  mek  no  great  odds  to  me  whar  I  lib,  an'  I 
alius  did  say,  'please  de  ladies'  all  de  time,  if  yo'  want 
peace  and  happiness  in  des  yer  wo'ld."  Then  with  a 
scrape  of  the  foot  and  a  duck  of  the  head  that  showed 
plainer  than  words  his  origin  in  the  States,  he  added  : 
"  But  I  is  sho'  'nough  glad  to  see  yo'  down  yer  a'catchin' 
all  sorts  o'  crawlin'  things  agin,  an'  I  'ud  be  might'ly 
honored  fer  to  heb  yo'  all  come  to  de  house  for  a  HI'  while." 

From  the  conversation  that  followed,  the  boys  gathered 
that  Dave  had  been  a  sailor  on  a  vessel  sailing  between 
Savannah  and  the  West  Indies  for  over  twenty  years, 
starting  in  his  early  boyhood.  Becoming  acquainted  with 
the  Doctor,  on  one  of  the  latter's  trips  to  these  islands, 
he  had  left  a  seafaring  life,  and  for  four  years  had  been 
his  guide,  assistant,  and  general  factotum.  Coming  to 
Haiti,  he  fell  in  love  with  one  of  the  belles  of  Port  a  Paix, 
and  married  her  here,  and  after  some  years  spent  on   a 


136  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

little  place  on  the  Georgia  coast,  bought  with  his  savings, 
had  come  back  here,  where  he  was  now  engaged  in  the 
dual  life  of  fisherman  and  market-gardener.  Furthermore, 
the  Doctor  soon  found  out  that  Dave  would  not  want  any 
better  job,  for  a  couple  of  weeks  or  so,  than  to  act  as 
guide,  cook,  and  interpreter  to  the  party  while  they 
remained  in  the  island. 

"  Bress  my  soul,  Massah  Doctah,"  he  cried,  "but  won' 
'Lisha  be  more  dan  glad  to  see  yo'  !  Yass,  sah,  I'se  got 
'Lisha  yet,  and  he  yain't  no  diff'unt  from  de  way  he  was 
de  day  yo*  las'  set  eyes  on  him." 

"  Elisha,"  said  Harry  ;  "  who  is  he  ?     Is  he  your  son  ?  " 

"Well,  I  s'pose  yo'  might  call  him  dat,  fo'  he's  de  on'y 
chile  me  an'  Hortense  is  got.  But  he  yain't  much  fo'  to 
call  pretty,  fo'  a  son.  He  do  hab  a  mos'  awdacious  mouf 
and  he  am  about  de  bowleggedes'  critter  eber  yo'  see," 
was  the  reply,  with  a  jolly  laugh,  that  appeared  to  illus- 
trate that  Elisha,  if  he  was  a  son,  came  very  naturally  by 
his  "awdacious  mouf." 

When,  after  a  walk  of  nearly  a  mile  back  towards  the 
town,  they  arrived  at  a  small  frame  cottage,  standing  back 
in  a  cluster  of  mango  trees  and  oleander  bushes  and  a  great 
tamarind  tree  waving  over  all,  with  neatly  kept  walks  and 
flower  beds,  in  great  contrast  to  the  untidiness  of  most  of 
the  houses  around,  Dave  turned  in,  and  with  another  of  his 
profound  bows  asked  them  to  be  seated  on  the  porch  while 
he  went  to  call  Hortense  and  Elisha.  Just  as  he  disap- 
peared Harry  shouted,  — 

"  Look  out,  Doctor !  Here  comes  a  giant  bull  dog !  " 
Saying  which  he  quickly  jumped  up  on  the  railing,  where 


The  Black  Repttblic  137 

he  was  promptly  followed  by  Ned.  But  their  fright  was 
unnecessary,  as  they  soon  saw,  when  the  Doctor  whistled 
to  the  villainous-looking  brute,  whose  enormous  body, 
short,  bowed  legs,  horrible  jaw,  and  a  bald  patch  on  his 
head  as  a  reminder  of  a  former  fight,  made  up  a  mosc  for- 
bidding combination,  and  called  him  by  his  name  "Elisha." 
The  boys  were  much  amused  at  Dave's  sense  of  humor  in 
alluding  to  this  brute  as  his  only  child,  and  asked  the 
Doctor  how  such  an  odd  name  had  been  given  to  him. 

"  That  you  must  get  Dave  to  tell  you ;  I  can't  do  it 
justice.  The  dog  belonged  on  the  vessel  that  Dave  used 
to  sail  on,  and  when  he  came  to  leave  it,  Dave  was  so  loth 
to  leave  the  dog,  then  known  as  Nero,  that  I  bought  it  for 
him." 

After  Dave  had  returned  with  his  wife,  Hortense,  a 
rather  fine-looking  mulatto  woman,  who  remembered  the 
Doctor  and  greeted  him  pleasantly  and  with  much  grace, 
Ned  asked,  — 

"  How  did  you  come  to  call  that  dog  Elisha,  Mr. 
Benton?" 

"  Don'  Mr.  Benton  me;  eberybody  jes'  calls  me  Dave, 
an'  dat's  de  name  I  like  bes'.  Dat  dawg  ?  Oh,  yo'  see 
dat  bal'  spot  on  his  head  ?  Well,  he's  mighty  sore  on  dat 
spot,  an'  yo'  don'  want  to  tech  upon  it,  'less  yo'  know  him 
mighty  good.  So,  yo'  see,  he's  jes'  like  dat  udder  ole  bal' 
head  what  we  read  about  in  de  Scriptu'es ;  it  yaint  safe  to 
boddah  him  about  his  bal'  head,  an'  so  I  jes'  call  him 
"Lisha."' 

The  boys  soon  found  this  quaint  reasoning  was  a  con- 
stant thing  with  Dave,  and  it  was  easy  to  see  why  he  had 


138  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

been  so  acceptable  a  companion  to  Doctor  Bartlett.  So 
entertained  were  they  with  the  man's  endless  flow  of  odd 
humor  combined  with  rare  common  sense,  that  it  was 
nearly  dark  when  they  finally  said  good-bye,  promising  to 
call  the  following  evening  to  take  dinner  with  Dave  and 
Hortense. 

"  Shall  we  really  take  our  dinner  there,  Doctor  ? "  said 
Ned,  doubtfully. 

"  Certainly.  In  no  better  way  can  you  become  used 
to  what  is  called  Creole  cooking,  and  it  will  be  a  very 
good  introduction  to  the  sort  of  living  you  may  expect 
when  we  are  not  camping  out.  Everything  will  be  scru- 
pulously clean,  and  you  will  have  no  trouble  to  forget  that 
you  are  not  eating  at  an  Anglo-Saxon  table,  where  in 
many  cases,  you  would  not  find  as  good  cooking  or  as 
neat  service." 

That  night,  as  they  sat  on  the  piazza  of  their  boarding- 
house,  they  were  joined  by  a  Catholic  priest,  and  a  French 
merchant  of  the  town,  and  the  talk  naturally  drifted  to  the 
condition  of  Haiti  and  its  outlook  for  improvement.  From 
this  conversation,  to  which  the  boys  were  eager  listeners, 
they  learned  that  the  priest  felt  much  discouraged,  fear- 
ing that  the  heathen  superstitions  which  the  negroes  had 
inherited  from  their  African  parents  and  grandparents 
were  so  deeply  rooted  in  their  natures  as  to  make  it  im- 
possible to  civilize  them.  The  Frenchman,  however,  who 
had  lived  in  Jamaica  and  in  Barbadoes,  believed  that,  if 
ruled  fairly  and  kindly  by  whites  until  they  learned  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  advantages  of  laws  and  an 
orderly  life,  they  would  prove  to  be  a  civilized  people  and 


The  Black  Republic  139 

a  credit  to  their  race.  But  he  agreed  with  the  priest  that 
they  were  going  back  into  barbarity  in  Haiti,  where  white 
example  and  white  influence  were  sadly  needed,  and 
thought  that  they  did  not,  as  a  people,  know  what  religion 
or  morals  really  meant,  for  the  one  who  prayed  the  most, 
or  offered  the  most  freely  to  the  Saints,  would  steal  the 
most  or  be  the  first  to  take  a  false  oath  against  his 
neighbor. 

Both  agreed  that  public  honor  was  unknown  to  the 
Haitians,  and  that  none  of  them  considered  it  wrong  to 
steal  from  the  State.  While  that  was  so,  every  new  elec- 
tion was  sure  to  be  followed  by  revolutions  on  the  part  of 
the  defeated  party,  who  were  only  anxious  to  be  in  power 
so  as  to  get  a  chance  at  the  public  treasury.  While  the 
country  was  nominally  a  Catholic  one,  it  was  in  reality 
largely  idolatrous.  The  worship  of  the  snake,  known  here 
as  Vaudoux,  and  in  the  English  colonies  as  Obeah,  the 
oldest  known  form  of  religion,  and  that  alluded  to  when 
Moses  erected  a  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  was  daily  gain- 
ing ground,  and  the  priest  of  God  was  no  longer  as  power- 
ful as  the  priest  of  Ob,  the  all-powerful  snake. 

As  to  self-government  and  the  honest  use  of  the  ballot, 
on  which  all  true  republics  must  depend,  they  neither 
knew  what  that  meant  nor  did  they  care  to  know.  In  a 
country  where,  among  the  common  people,  the  priests  of 
Ob  were  so  influential  that  if  they  commanded  the  sacri- 
fice and  the  eating  of  an  innocent  babe  they  would  be 
obeyed,  as  they  had  frequently  been,  there  was  no  use  in 
trying  to  improve  things  without  outside,  white  help. 
These  Vaudoux  priests  wanted  to  keep  their  dupes  in  the 


140  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

densest  ignorance,  and  they  had  the  power  to  do  so,  and 
succeeded  in  its  use.  These  wretches  could  only  be  over- 
thrown by  outside  influences,  for  even  the  President  of  the 
Republic  was  suspected  of  being  a  follower  of  the  idola- 
trous craft,  and  no  man  who  hoped  to  be  elected  to  any 
important  office  in  the  land  dared  to  speak  openly  against 
its  evil  practices. 

These  were  strange  facts  to  the  boys,  and  long  after 
they  had  retired  for  the  night  they  whispered  together 
over  the  wonder  of  it  that  such  dense  African  ignorance 
and  heathenism  could  exist  but  two  days'  sail  from  Ameri- 
can civilization,  and  right  in  sight  of  almost  daily  travel  by 
its  very  doors. 

The  next  morning  they  devoted  to  buying  some  fine 
bananas,  cocoanuts,  oranges,  and  pineapples  to  send 
home,  and  to  packing  a  box  full  of  the  most  perishable 
things  they  had  collected.  After  inspecting  their  bundles 
to  see  that  they  were  all  correctly  marked,  Ned  said  :  — 

"  Doctor,  you  always  spell  the  name  of  this  country 
H-a-z-t-i,  and  not  H-a-jy-t-i,  with  a  y,  as  we  were  taught  in 
school.  And  you  don't  pronounce  it  as  we  do,  nor  did 
those  gentlemen  who  called  on  you  last  night.  How  is 
that  ? " 

"  Your  teachers  follow  the  geographies,  and  I  have  never 
seen  a  geography,  published  in  America,  that  does  not  get 
the  names  of  this  island  all  jumbled  up.  Some  call  it 
Hayti,  and  some  San  Domingo,  but  neither  one  is  correct. 
Columbus  named  it  Espanola,  meaning  'little  Spain,'  and 
in  fact,  that  should  be  the  name  of  the  whole  island  yet. 
Santo,  not  San,  Domingo  is  the  name  he  gave  the  city  he 


The  Black  Republic  141 


founded,  and  which  he  named  after  Saint  Dominic,  and  it 
is  now  only  correctly  applied  to  the  Spanish-speaking 
republic  of  that  name  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  island. 
Haiti  is  the  French  attempt  at  spelling  the  original  Indian 
name,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  given  on  account  of 
its  high  mountains.  To  be  very  correct,  it  should  be  spelled 
H-a-i'-t-i,  with  a  double  dot  over  the  first  t,  to  show  that 
each  letter  is  sounded,  and  that  the  ai  sound  is  not  blended. 
The  correct  sound  is  not  Hay-ti,  as  we  spell  it,  but  Haw- 
ee-tee,  though  here  you  will  find  many  drop  the  sound  of 
the  H  and  shorten  the  word  so  that  it  sounds  like  Eye-tee. 
So  hereafter,  if  you  want  to  be  accurate,  as  I  know  you  do, 
you  will  speak  of  the  island  of  Es-pan-yo'-la,  the  Spanish 
republic  of  Sant'-to  Do-meeng'-go,  and  the  French  republic 
Haw-ee-tee." 

In  the  afternoon,  after  four  hours  spent  in  collecting, — 
hours  that  were  productive  of  many  delightful  surprises  in 
new  and  beautiful  species, —  they  returned  homeward  so  as 
to  be  at  Dave's  cosy  home  about  a  half-hour  before  the 
dinner  hour.  Dave  they  found  resplendent  in  a  suit  of 
the  whitest  duck,  starched  and  ironed  so  stiff  that  it  fairly 
cracked  aloud  when  he  walked  or  sat  down,  and  Hortense 
was  a  striking  picture  in  a  blue  skirt  and  yellow  waist,  with 
a  fiery  red  bandanna  handkerchief  on  her  head.  Even  Elisha 
looked  as  though  he  had  been  scrubbed  for  the  occasion, 
and  the  table,  which  had  been  spread  outdoors  under  the 
tamarind  tree,  was  a  marvel  of  white  linen  and  even  whiter 
dishes.  This  was  a  great  day  for  the  Benton  household, 
and  they  were  bound  to  make  the  most  of  a  visit  from 
"  Massa  Doctah  and  de  two  young  gemmen  from  de  No'fe. " 


142  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


Starting  with  "pepper-pot,"  a  fiery,  highly-seasoned 
soup  that  the  boys  got  well  acquainted  with  in  the  follow- 
ing weeks,  they  followed  with  some  deliriously-baked 
jackfish,  a  luscious  joint  of  young  "mountain  motton," 
which  the  boys  did  not  know  was  young  goat  until  after- 
wards, and  as  fine  a  dish  of  lobster  salad  as  one  could  find 
in  a  year's  travel.  The  West  Indian  lobster  is  as  different 
in  taste  as  it  is  in  shape  from  its  northern  cousin,  and  the 
boys  agreed  that  its  flavor  was  finer  than  what  they  were 
used  to.  With  these  animal  foods,  they  were  served  with 
fried  plantain,  a  sort  of  banana ;  "ackies,"  a  sort  of  vegetable- 
like fruit  that  tasted  and  looked  like  the  yolk  of  eggs  and 
went  well  with  the  fish;  white  yams,  which  were  much 
like  white  potatoes,  mashed  and  baked  in  an  oven ;  egg- 
plants ;  and  "  cho-cho,"  a  sort  of  mammoth  squash  that 
the  boys  were  satisfied  to  taste  and  let  alone. 

Following  this  substantial  spread  came  excellent  cups 
of  coffee  and  some  candied  guavas,  preserved  ginger,  and 
sliced  pineapple,  while  a  plate  of  fruit  was  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  table.  This  contained  besides  bananas, 
oranges,  slices  of  cocoanut,  and  dried  figs,  such  unknown 
delicacies  as  sapadillos,  mangoes,  sweet-sops,  and  several 
others  of  yet  untried  charms  to  the  boys,  who  were  destined 
to  become  well  acquainted  with  and  fond  of  them  in  time. 
As  a  fit  ending  to  this  sumptuous  repast,  to  which  Dave 
did  the  honors  while  Hortense  waited  on  the  table  and 
kept  the  flies  off  with  a  mighty  palm-leaf,  they  were 
introdued  to  a  bowl  of  "  matrimony,"  a  delicious  cooling 
drink  compounded  of  lemon  juice,  cocoanut  water,  sweet- 
sops,  claret,  juice  of   the  pineapple,  and  cracked  ice  got 


The  Black  Republic  143 


from  a  vessel  then  in  the  harbor.  Such  a  feast  as  this 
brought  from  the  boys  almost  endless  praise,  much  to  the 
delight  of  Dave  and  gratification  of  Hortense,  whose  skill 
had  brought  it  all  forth. 

Not  the  least  entertaining  and   surprising  thing  about 
this  bountiful  dinner  was  the  sportiveness  of  a  novel  little 
pet  that  Dave  was  very  fond  and  proud  of.     This  was  a  tiny 
chameleon-like  lizard,  not  more  than  six  inches  long  and 
seemingly  as  quick  as  a  flash  of  light.     As  soon  as  they 
sat  down  to  the  table,  Harry,  usually  the  first  to  observe 
anything  unusual,  called  attention  to  a  little  grayish-brown 
lizard  that  was  hiding  in  the  dish  of  fruit  on  the  centre 
of   the   table.     Dave   laughed,  and  giving  a  low  whistle 
surprised  the  boys  greatly  by  allowing  the  little  creature, 
which  came  running  to  him,  to  disappear  up  his  left  sleeve. 
Then  he  explained  that  he  had  owned  the  little  pet  for 
over  a  year,  and  that  from  coming  timidly  on  the  table  to 
catch  flies  at  first,  it  had  now  grown  so  tame  that  it  ex- 
pected to  be  whistled  to,  and  to  be  allowed  to  sit  in  his 
sleeve  and  occasionally  run  out  after  flies  at  every  meal. 
When  he  chirped  to  it,  what  the  boys  first  thought  was 
another  lizard  came  forth,  but  the  Doctor  explained  that 
this  was  a  West  Indian  chameleon  and  capable  of  chang- 
ing its  color,  the  bright  emerald  green  now  shown  by  it 
being  generally  accepted  as  a  sign  that  it  was  contented 
or  pleased.     Dave  handed  it  to  the  Doctor,  who,  being  a 
stranger,  was  not  acceptable  to  the  changeable  little  reptile, 
and  it  at  once  began  to  turn  to  a  dull  ashy  brown.     When 
he  gave  it  back  to  Dave,  and  the  latter  talked  caressingly 
to  it,  it  at  once  began  to  turn  back  to  a  vivid  green. 


144  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


During  the  meal  the  little  pet  made  several  sallies  from 
its  sleeve  hiding-place  to  catch  flies,  but  in  every  case  it 
behaved  very  well,  and  refrained  from  getting  into  any  of 
the  food.  But  Dave  explained  that  for  a  long  while  he 
had  had  to  keep  a  pan  of  water  sitting  on  the  floor  near 
him  when  at  meals,  and  that,  whenever  it  rushed  through 
the  butter  in  its  chase  after  flies  or  otherwise  became  a 
nuisance,  he  dropped  it  into  the  water,  and  that  in  time 
it  grew  very  careful  about  such  mistakes,  as  it  hated  its 
duckings  very  much.  They  had  had  on  the  vessel  on 
which  he  used  to  sail  an  Italian  who  would  never  take  a 
bath  until  the  captain  commanded  it ;  so  Dave  had  named 
his  tiny  pet  Nicodemo  after  that  water-hating  son  of  Italy. 


CHAPTER   X 

AN    EARTHQUAKE 

Gabe  —  Early  Morning  in  the  Tropics  —  Orchids  and  Air-plants  —  Water- 
cocoanuts  —  High  Prices  —  The  Ceaseless  Tom-tom  —  A  Native  Dance  — 
The  "Sablier"  or  Sand-box  Tree  —  Strange  Noises — Zombies,  Jumbies, 
and  Duppies  —  The  Need  of  Missionaries  —  A  Terrible  Moment  —  Earth- 
quakes—  Cap  Haitien  —  "The  Ill-fated  City." — Toussaint  L'Ouverture 

AFTER  two  days  spent  in  further  exploration  of  the 
region  around  Port  a  Paix,  during  which  a  consider- 
able amount  of  material  was  added  to  the  collections  of 
insects,  birds,  shells,  and  reptiles,  the  party,  with  Dave  as 
their  guide,  started  along  the  shore  on  their  way  to  the 
principal  northern  port  of  the  island,  Cap  Haitien.  The 
party  numbered  four  human  beings  and  four  four-footed 
companions;  for  besides  two  horses,  —  on  one  of  which 
some  of  their  belongings  were  packed,  and  on  the  other  of 
which  they  could  take  turns  in  riding,  if  they  grew  tired  of 
walking  and  collecting  by  the  way,  —  'Lisha,  the  dog,  and 
Gabe,  a  big  gray  mule,  were  of  the  party.  The  latter  was 
the  property  of  Dave,  and  on  him  the  heaviest  part  of  their 
belongings  were  packed.  The  origin  of  his  name  Dave 
explained  as  follows  :  — 

"  Dat  mule  ?     Hi !  but  he's  a  gret  fellow  wid  his  trum- 
pet.    No  mattah   how  many  mules  da  is  wid  him,   he's 
shore  to  hab  de  las'  blow  on  dat  trumpet,  so  I  jes'  call  him 
by  de  name  o'  dat  oder  las'   trumpet  blowah,  de  Angul 
L  145 


!46  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


Gab'iel,  and  calls  him  Gabe  for  shote."  And  the  boys 
soon  found  that  again  Dave's  odd  sense  of  humor  was 
justified ;  for  Gabe  was  a  most  inveterate  brayer,  his  ee- 
haws  being  a  feature  of  their  trip  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
and  night. 

The  distance  from  Port  a  Paix  to  Cap  Haitien  is  but  a 
little  over  thirty-five  miles,  but  they  decided  to  take  three 
days  to  it,  that  they  might  devote  most  of  their  time  to 
collecting  in  the  valleys  of  the  various  streams  they  passed, 
and  to  one  or  two  climbs  into  the  foot-hills  of  the  Plaisance 
Mountains,  which  flank  the  northern  plain  to  the  south 
and  send  spurs  down  to  the  very  water's  edge,  in  places. 
To  do  this  it  was  decided  that  they  would  make  a  very 
early  start,  so  as  to  do  eight  miles  per  day  in  the  cool  of 
the  morning  and  four  miles  late  in  the  afternoon ;  thus 
they  would  have  the  best  collecting  hours  free  and  would 
escape  the  hot  road  during  the  middle  of  the  day.     There- 
fore they  left  Port  a  Paix  just  as  the  first  streaks  of  gray 
were  appearing  in  the  east,  depending  on  a  good  hot  cup 
of  cacao  and  a  couple  of  bananas  to  nourish  them  suffi- 
ciently until  they  could  enjoy  the   breakfast   that    Dave 
would  prepare  for  them  at  the  end  of  their  morning's  share 
of  the  day's  trip.    This  is  the  usual  custom  throughout  the 
tropics,  where  there  is  an  elasticity  and  vigor  in  the  early 
morning  air  that  is  felt  at  no  other  time  in  the  twenty-four 
hours. 

As  the  day  advanced,  and  it  became  light  enough  to  see 
all  that  was  going  on  in  the  darker  nooks  of  foliage  around 
them,  the  boys  discovered  that  they  were  by  no  means  the 
only  living  beings  who  were  availing   themselves  of   the 


An  Earthquake  147 

crisp,  cool  air  of  the  dawn  to  be  on  the  move.  In  every 
direction  lizards  of  all  shapes  and  sizes  were  chasing  insects 
of  even  greater  variety  of  shape  and  size,  in  pursuit  of  their 
early  breakfast.  On  every  hand  birds  were  doing  much 
the  same  thing,  and  those  of  their  kind  who  were  in  search 
of  honey  and  other  sweets,  the  humming  birds  in  particular, 
were  especially  active  in  their  rush  from  flower  to  flower. 
Nor  was  the  animal  life  all  that  gave  proof  of  a  vigorous 
awakening  with  the  returning  morning  ;  the  air  was  laden 
—  in  places  almost  too  heavily  laden  — with  the  perfume  of 
flowers  that  by  midday  would  be  wilted  and  unable  to  give 
the  passer-by  any  idea  of  the  loveliness  that  had  been 
theirs  while  they  were  yet  bathed  in  dew.  Among  these, 
the  flowers  of  certain  orchids  were  especially  noticeable, 
and,  when  they  camped  for  the  day  in  a  shady  nook  by 
the  side  of  a  small  stream  that  came  rushing  out  of  the 
hills,  Harry  was  so  impressed  by  this  that  he  said  :  — 

"  Doctor,  how  do  these  orchids  and  other  air-plants  get 
enough  nourishment,  the  way  they  grow,  to  make  such 
an  amount  of  smell  ?  Do  their  roots  run  into  the  trees 
they  grow  on,  so  deep  as  to  gain  strength  from  them  ?  " 

"The  further  you  go  into  the  tropics,"  was  the  Doctor's 
reply,  "  the  more  you  will  be  impressed  with  the  impor- 
tance of  air-plants  in  the  vegetable  world.  Every  big  tree 
here  is  an  aerial  botanical  garden.  Giant  plants  perched 
in  the  fork  of  a  forest  monarch  will  send  their  roots  to 
the  ground,  and  it  is  these  cords  and  ropes  that  are  so 
useful  in  scores  of  ways  to  the  natives  of  such  countries. 
Others  send  their  lianas  or  vegetable  ropes,  trailing  from 
tree  to  tree  in  massive  festoons,  until  they  resemble  the 


!48  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


rigging  of  some  ship  after  a  storm.  Frequently  you  will 
meet  a  tree  covered  with  gorgeous  flowers,  and  on  going  to 
the  other  side  of  it,  will  discover  that,  while  it  is  there  as 
densely  covered,  it  is  with  totally  different  flowers.  On 
examination  it  will  be  found  that  none  of  these  owe  their 
origin  to  the  tree,  or  extract  their  nourishment  from  it,  but 
that  all  are  the  product  of  air-plants  that  send  their  roots 
to  the  earth  and  only  depend  on  the  tree  for  support,  or 
that  appear  to  get  from  the  air  alone  all  the  nourishment 
they  need.  Climbing  ferns,  vanillas,  orchids  of  hundreds 
of  kinds,  and  a  thousand  other  vegetable  parasites  of  the 
same  sort  live  in  this  way ;  I  have  myself  counted  twenty- 
seven  different  forms  of  plant  life  thus  growing,  without 
counting  the  many  forms  of  mosses,  lichens,  and  other 
minor  growths  that  covered  one  tree. 

"One  group  of  air-plants,  the  roots  of  which  do  not 
extend  to  the  ground,  and  the  presence  of  which  on  a  tree 
does  not  in  the  least  appear  to  weaken  it,  seem  to  get  their 
nourishment  principally  by  their  broad,  sheath-like  leaves, 
which  form  cups  around  the  main  stalk  and  hold  rain  water 
for  a  long  time.  This  must  be  of  great  value  to  the  plant 
during  the  dry  season,  and  the  fact  that  many  insects  are 
attracted  to  and  drowned  in  these  tiny  wells  would  seem 
to  account  for  one  source  of  the  plant's  nourishment,  as 
the  insects  rapidly  decay  under  such  conditions." 

With  Dave,  Harry  went  to  a  cabin  near  camp,  and  for  a 
few  pennies  bought  as  many  "  water-cocoanuts  "  as  they 
could  use  for  the  day.  The  ripened  cocoanut,  as  they  had 
known  it  in  the  North,  the  boys  had  already  learned  was 
a  very  inferior,  insipid  thing  compared  with  the  delicate, 


A n  Earthquake  149 

luscious,  partly  ripe  nut,  known  in  that  stage  as  the 
water-cocoanut,  on  account  of  the  always  cool  and  nourish- 
ing fluid,  the  "milk,"  which  it  contained.  After  drinking 
this  fluid  from  two  nuts  and  then  scooping  out  the  deli- 
cious, jelly-like  pulp,  which  had  not  yet  begun  to  harden 
into  the  indigestible  mass  that  is  found  in  the  fully  ripe 
nut,  it  occurred  to  Ned  that  his  share  of  the  treat  had  not 
cost  as  much  as  a  small  glass  of  soda  water  at  home,  and 
he  remarked  :  — 

"  Travelling  is  pretty  cheap  here,  isn't  it  ?  One  can 
travel  for  a  few  cents  if  he  knows  how  and  is  content  with 
Creole  ways  ;  can't  he,  Doctor  ?  " 

"Yes,  usually.  But  that  depends  on  when  you  come 
here  and  what  you  have  to  offer  in  exchange.  American 
or  English  gold  goes  a  great  way  here  ;  but  if  you  happened 
along  this  way  during  one  of  their  many  rebellions  with 
only  Haitian  paper  money  in  your  pocket,  you  would  not 
fare  so  well.  A  historian  tells  of  a  time  here,  not  so  very 
long  ago,  when  one  dollar  in  American  gold  would  buy 
$400  in  Haitian  paper  money,  and  a  guide  asked  $2000,  in 
that  money,  for  three  days'  service,  and  a  claret  lemonade 
cost  $30.  And  that  happened  right  along  this  north 
shore." 

That  night,  although  the  dense  foliage  around  them  had 
prevented  their  being  aware  of  it  by  sight,  their  ears 
informed  them  that  they  had  camped  near  a  settlement ; 
for  no  sooner  had  it  grown  dark  and  the  natives  had  time 
for  their  evening  meal  than  there  began  not  very  far  away 
the  monotonous  beating  of  the  tom-tom  or  native  drum. 
At  first  the  boys,  who  had  once  or  twice  during  their  trip 


150  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


heard  the  noise  at  a  distance,  did  not  understand  it ;  but 
the  Doctor  explained  that  by  stretching  a  dried  goat  or  pig 
skin  head  over  a  butter  tub,  a  large  section  of  bamboo,  a 
bucket,  or  even  a  tin  oil-can  with  the  top  cut  off,  the 
natives  made  a  rude  sort  of  drum,  from  the  incessant 
beating  of  which  they  appeared  to  derive  much  pleasure. 

The  tom-tom  has  a  rather  pleasing,  soothing  sound  at  a 
distance,  and  harmonizes  well  with  the  endless  din  of 
insects  and  other  creeping  things  in  a  tropical  night,  so  as 
to  lull  one  to  sleep  in  a  very  delightful  manner.  But  for 
comfort's  sake  it  should  be  at  least  half  a  mile  away ;  and 
he  is  an  unhappy  wretch  who  has  a  tom-tom  player  for  a 
near  neighbor  and  is  compelled  night  after  night,  and 
perhaps  often  all  night,  to  listen  to  the  maddening  monot- 
ony of  its  thump,  thump,  thump. 

"  What  fun  can  they  get  out  of  that  everlasting  bang, 
banging  ?  "  Ned  asked. 

"  They  will  tell  you,  if  you  ask  them,"  replied  the 
Doctor,  "  that  that  is  the  way  they  were  taught ;  and  their 
great-grandparents  would  have  told  you,  in  their  day,  that 
so  it  was  done  in  Africa.  Of  course  their  principal  use 
for  the  tom-tom  is  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  music  of 
the  dance,  and  I  imagine  that  is  what  is  going  on  over 
there.  If  you  care  to,  while  I  am  fixing  our  things  to  go 
out  after  moths  to-night,  Dave  can  take  you  over  there, 
where  you  can  get  a  peep  at  their  dancing.  It  is  an  odd 
sight,  and  one  well  worth  seeing.  But  you  must  be  care- 
ful not  to  appear  to  be  laughing  at  them,  if  they  notice 
you  looking  on." 

When,  under   Dave's   guidance,  the   boys    reached  the 


An  Earthquake  151 


neighborhood  of  the  sound,  they  found  that  not  only  two 
tom-toms,  but  a  rude  violin  and  two  bamboo  flutes  also, 
lent  their  musie  to  the  occasion,  each  performer  disdaining 
anything  like  time  or  harmony,  and  each  indulging  in  a 
sort  of  musical  go-as-you-please.  In  this  they  were  followed 
by  the  dancers,  for  it  was  impossible  to  detect  any  regular 
figure  or  rule  of  procedure ;  each  couple,  and  often  each 
individual,  appeared  to  follow  their  own  ideas  of  what  would 
be  most  startling.  Posturing,  contorting,  hoe-downs, 
double  shuffles,  walk-arounds,  jigs,  flings,  polkas,  waltzes, 
and  even  the  orderly  minuet  or  reel  seemed  to  be  mixed 
in  one  hopeless  tangle  of  humanity ;  and  the  boys  came 
away,  after  a  half-hour  of  silent,  intent  watching,  much 
mystified  and  much  amused. 

"Why,  Doctor,"  said  Harry,  "that  music,  I  suppose 
they  call  it,  kept  on  steadily  all  the  time,  without  any 
change  in  tune  or  in  the  form  of  dance ;  and  it  is  going 
yet ! " 

"So  it  will  be  when  we  come  back  from  our  collecting, 
I  think  you  will  find,"  the  Doctor  replied.  And  he  was 
right.  Two  and  one-half  hours  after,  on  their  homeward 
way  they  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  the  players  were 
playing  as  ever,  the  figure  of  the  dance  was  the  same 
muddle  as  before,  and,  apparently,  the  same  dancers  were 
still  on  the  floor,  or  rather  the  sod.  And  so  it  was  long 
after  midnight,  Dave  told  them  the  next  morning,  as  he 
heard  when  he  was  up  to  replenish  their  camp  fire. 

Very  early  the  next  morning,  before  daylight  or  it  was 
time  to  get  up,  they  were  all  awakened  by  a  succession  of 
small  explosions,  much  like  the  repeated  firings  of  a  pistol, 


152  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


but  not  so  loud  and  very  near  at  hand.  Both  boys  were 
up  in  an  instant,  and  were  not  a  little  nervous,  as  the  many 
tales  of  Haitian  history  they  had  already  heard  came 
flocking  to  their  memories.  One  word  from  Dave,  in  his 
hammock  outside  the  tent,  set  the  Doctor  to  laughing  and 
caused  him  to  say  :  — 

"Sure  enough!  The  '  sablier,'  as  they  call  it,  or  the 
sand-box  tree,  Hum  crepitans.  The  noise  is  caused  by  the 
bursting  of  the  large  eight-sided  pods  of  a  tree  near  by, 
which,  owing  to  their  being  ripe,  pop  open  with  this  pistol- 
like sound  and  scatter  their  seed  around.  I  remember  on 
my  first  trip  to  the  West  Indies,  years  ago,  that  a  mis- 
chievous friend  nearly  frightened  me  out  of  a  year's  growth 
by  putting  four  or  five  pods  in  my  bureau,  and  one  after 
another  they  went  off  with  an  appalling  report,  made 
much  louder  in  the  dead  of  night  by  being  in  a  bureau 
drawer  and  in  a  small  room." 

"  It  seems  to  me  there  are  a  great  many  strange  noises 
in  this  country,  anyhow,"  said  Ned.  "I  woke  up  last 
night,  and  while  I  was  listening  to  the  thousands  of  voices 
of  insects  that  with  the  lizards  and  tree-toads  made  alto- 
gether a  mighty  roar,  I  heard  a  very  peculiar  mumbling 
sound  that  seemed  to  me  to  come  from  the  hills  above  us, 
yet  the  ground  trembled  slightly,  I  thought.  What  was 
it,  do  you  think,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  Probably  what  geologists  call  subsidence  of  some  great 
land  mass  in  the  caves  beneath  us.  Nearly  all  of  this 
island  is  underlaid  with  a  network  of  caverns,  and  the  con- 
tinual dripping  of  the  water  in  them  at  times  detaches 
masses  of  earth  that  in  falling  send  up  a  dull  sound  and 


An  Earthquake  153 


very  naturally  shake  the  vicinity  slightly.  Some  of  these 
are  small  and  very  local,  but  some  must  be  very  large,  for 
their  effects  are  heard  or  felt  for  many  miles.  These  are 
dignified  by  being  classed  among  earthquakes,  and  no 
doubt  account  for  most  of  the  minor  shocks  felt  here  in 
recent  years." 

"The  one  I  heard  last  night  was  quite  loud,  and  cer- 
tainly made  me  feel  very  uncomfortable,"  said  Ned. 

"  Yes,  unless  one  understands  them  they  sound  very 
uncanny,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  natives  believe  them 
to  be  caused  by  Zombies,  as  they  call  them." 

"What  are  Zombies  ?"  asked  Harry. 

"  Zombies,  as  the  French  negroes  call  them,  or  Jumbies, 
as  they  are  in  English,  are  the  spirits  of  departed  ones 
who  have  lived  evil  and  spiteful  lives  here  and  who  redouble 
their  energy  in  doing  harm  in  the  spirit  life.  They  also 
include  many  of  the  assistants  of  the  Evil  One,  sent  here 
to  work  mischief  among  the  living.  Duppies,  which  you 
have  heard  them  allude  to  by  calling  butterflies  'duppy- 
bats,'  are  the  fairies,  brownies,  wood-nymphs,  and  other 
harmless  spirits,  rather  inclined  to  good,  kindly  acts. 
But  the  Zombies  are  seriously  feared  and  certain  places, 
such  as  certain  caves  or  trees,  that  are  believed  to  be 
frequented  by  them  at  night,  are  never  ventured  near,  if 
by  any  possibility  it  can  be  avoided.  Half  the  ills  they 
are  heir  to,  from  a  thorn  in  the  foot  to  a  dead  wife  or 
mother,  or  a  burned  house  or  an  earthquake-shaken  village, 
they  attribute  to  the  Zombies,  and  it  is  largely  to  curry 
favor  with  the  great  master  of  the  Zombies,  the  All-power- 
full  Snake,  and    get    him    to   remove  the  effects    of   the 


154  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


persecution,  that  they  so  constantly  sacrifice  to  snakes  and 
pay  so  much  of  their  slender  incomes  to  the  priests  of  this 
witchcraft,  the  papaloi,  whose  dupes  they  are." 

"Dat's  de  fac',  and  no  mistake,"  said  Dave  who  had 
been  listening.  "  If  dey  had  de  Meffodises,  Baptisses,  and 
Prisbyte'yuns  all  a'fighten  togedder  fo'  day  souls,  dey 
wouldn't  hab  no  time  nor  no  notion  fo'  all  sech  debilment 
as  Zombies,  and  dat's  what  I  tell  them  ebery  day.  What 
day  want  is  de  'lightenment  what  we'se  got  in  de  No'fe." 

The  Doctor  made  no  reply,  but  he  smiled  and  shook  his 
head  in  approval  to  the  boys,  to  signify  that,  in  his  rough 
way,  Dave  had  hit  the  nail  on  the  head,  as  he  usually  did. 

A  day  of  great  activity  in  the  collecting  field  —  for  the 
boys  now  found  themselves  in  the  very  thick  of  a  most 
entrancing  and  exceedingly  rich  region  for  their  work  — 
and   an  evening  of   equal  success  at  the  sugared  trees, 
resulted  in  sending   two   thoroughly  tired   boys   to    bed 
somewhat    earlier  than  usual.     So  tired  were  they  that 
both  prophesied  that  they  would  not  once  stir  during  the 
night,  little  realizing  how  sleepless  part  of  it  was  to  prove. 
They  had  not  been  in  bed  long  enough  for  the  Doctor  to 
have  finished  his  usual  methodical  work  of  putting  every- 
thing to  rights  before  retiring,  although  both  had  already 
fallen    asleep,  when    they  were   suddenly  awakened  by  a 
sensation   the  like   of  which   was   entirely   new  to  them. 
Afterwards  Harry  said  he  started  up  from  dreaming  that 
he  was  on  the  sea  in  a  violent  storm  ;  but  Ned,  who  could 
recall  no  dream,  woke  imagining  that  the  tent  was  being 
pounded  to  pieces  over  them.     'Lisha  was  howling   in  a 
most  dismal  fashion,  Dave  was   heard    speaking   reassur- 


An  Earthquake  x 55 


ingly  to  the  horses,  which  the  boys  saw  by  the  light  he  was 
turning  loose  from  the  trees  where  they  were  tied,  and 
Gabe  was  uttering  the  most  terrific  brays  imaginable. 

The  usual  overpowering  roar  of  the   night  life  in  the 
forests  was  hushed  into  a  solemn  stillness  that  was  most 
impressive,  almost  terrible  ;  and  although  then  they  could 
not  explain  it,  both  boys  said,  afterwards,  that  they  had 
a  distinct  feeling   that   something  fearful    was    going   to 
happen.     Just  as  Ned  was  about  to  voice  their  wonder  at 
it  all  to  the  Doctor,  who  was  helping  Dave  with  the  horses, 
the  question  was  answered  for  them  and  their  fears  in- 
creased an    hundred-fold   by    the    sudden    motion    of   the 
ground  under  their  feet,  first  to  this  side,  then  to  that,  and 
then  with   a    sudden   motion,  apparently  downwards.     A 
bucket  two-thirds  full  of  water  just  outside  the  tent,  Ned 
remembered  afterwards,  was  so  shaken  that  some  of  its 
contents  was    spilled,    and   the   bull's-eye   lantern    which 
always  burned  dimly  at  the  door  of  the  tent  was  swaying 
to  and  fro  like  the  pendulum  of  a  clock.     As  suddenly  as 
it  had  begun,  the  motion  stopped,  and  both  boys  sank  down 
to  the  ground,  sick  with  fear,  nauseated  as  in  seasickness 
with  the  rocking  of  the  earth,  and  in  a  cold  perspiration. 
Seeing  that  they  were  awake  and  about,  the  Doctor  hurried 
to  them  with  these  assuring  words  :  — 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  boys  !  We  are  in  perfect  safety,  I 
assure  you !  This  sort  of  earthquake  never  causes  fissures 
or  earthcracks,  and  we  are  not  in  a  building  which  can 
topple  on  our  heads  and  crush  us  to  death,  which  is  the 
only  serious  danger  from  this  sort  of  shake." 

These  were  comforting  words  to  the  boys,  who  knew  the 


156  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


Doctor  too  well  to  feel  any  doubt  of  his  words  under  such 
circumstances  ;  but  notwithstanding  their  returning  con- 
fidence, each  recurring  motion  of  the  earth,  of  which  there 
were  nine  in  the  following  three  hours,  made  them  feel 
far  from  comfortable.  It  was  a  strange  sensation  to  them, 
who  had  always  looked  upon  the  earth's  surface  as  a 
stable  place  on  which  was  safety,  to  find  it  rocking  and 
trembling  with  a  sea-like  motion,  and  to  be  told  that  in 
reality  the  sea  was  a  safer  surface  in  earthquake  times. 
But  their  fear  finally  wore  away,  and  the  boys  found  them- 
selves regarding  each  shock  with  less  dread. 

"  Earthquakes  are  one  of  the  things  you  can't  learn  about 
by  reading,  evidently,"  said  Ned.  "I  thought  I  had  a 
good  idea  of  what  it  was  like,  but  I  find  my  reading  had 
given  me  but  a  faint  idea  of  how  really  frightful  the 
sensation  is  when  one  wakes  up  to  find  the  ground  cutting 
up  such  capers.  Does  a  person  ever  get  used  to  them  so 
as  no  longer  to  fear  them,  Doctor  ?  " 

"You  will  find  many  persons,  especially  among  the 
Spanish  half-breeds,  who  are  inclined  to  be  a  very  boastful 
people,  who  will  assure  you  that  they  have  no  fear  of  such 
things  and  do  not  allow  them  to  interfere  with  their  usual 
occupations.  But  they  are  either  foolishly  bragging,  or 
else  they  have  never  felt  a  really  severe  shock.  I  have 
met  such  people  in  quantities,  and  when  the  time  came 
for  the  test  I  have  always  observed  them  to  be  the  first  to 
scuttle  off  to  an  open  place  of  comparative  safety,  quite 
oblivious  to  their  duty  to  help  the  aged  or  less  active. 
However  brave  one  may  be,  or  however  long  he  may  have 
lived  in  an  earthquake  country,  there  is  that  in  a  really 


An  Earthquake  157 

serious  shock  or  succession  of  shocks  that  will  unnerve 
the  bravest  and  make  cowards  of  those  least  susceptible  to 
ordinary  fear.  I  have  seen  the  ground  rocking  so  that 
tall  cocoanut  palms  were  bent  almost  to  the  ground,  the 
surface  of  the  earth  undulated  like  the  waves  in  the  sea, 
and  massive  stone  buildings  came  toppling  down  like  the 
toy  houses  we  used  to  make  of  blocks  ;  and  at  such  times  I 
have  always  felt  terrified  beyond  expression,  and  every  one 
around  me  acted  or  looked  the  same." 

On  the  evening  of  the  next  day  they  arrived  in  the 
little  city  of  Cap  Haitien,  once  an  important  port  of  75,000 
prosperous  inhabitants,  now  a  town  of  hardly  11,000  souls, 
many  of  whom  live  in  the  utmost  squalor  and  degradation. 
Along  their  route  that  day,  they  saw  a  few  signs  that  the 
earthquake  of  the  night  before  had  shaken  down  some 
dead  tree  limbs,  and  one  or  two  houses  had  suffered 
slightly ;  but  as  the  buildings  they  passed  were,  for  the 
most  part,  the  ordinary  bamboo  huts  with  palm-leaf 
thatches,  there  was  but  little  sign  of  serious  damage  to  be 
expected.  In  Cap  Haitien,  they  found,  on  inquiring  at  the 
principal  boarding-place,  where  they  went  at  once,  that 
there  had  been  but  three  shocks  felt,  and  each  of  those 
but  slight,  so  that  there  was  no  damage  reported  there. 

As  the  boys  started  out  to  see  what  sugaring  for  moths 
would  produce  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  that  night, 
the  Doctor  told  them  that  for  many  years  Cap  Haitien 
had  been  known  to  historians  as  "the  ill-fated  City,"  and, 
at  their  request  he  told  them  some  stories  from  its 
history,  in  explanation  of  that  name. 

The    town    had   been    first    settled    as    the    site   for   a 


158  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

European  colony  in  1670,  soon  after  the  French  bucca- 
neers had  possessed  themselves  of  their  part  of  the  island 
from  the  Spanish  conquerors.  The  French  were  quick  to 
see  that  this  was  the  best  harbor  and  pleasantest  place  on 
the  north  shore,  which  was  and  still  is  very  superior  to 
the  south,  both  in  climate  and  fertility.  But  from  the 
first,  and  always,  the  French  showed  that  their  fiery 
tempers  made  poor  slave-owners  of  them,  and  in  1791,  at 
the  very  height  of  its  prosperity  and  power,  when  it 
claimed  to  be  the  chief  port  in  the  West  Indies,  on  the 
night  of  August  22d,  the  slaves  on  the  plantations  in 
the  interior  plains,  most  of  whose  masters  had  their  homes 
in  the  wealthy  little  city,  rose  in  a  body  at  a  preconcerted 
signal ;  and  before  any  one  was  aware  of  their  intention, 
every  estate  had  been  put  to  the  torch.  Cane  fields  burn 
like  tinder,  and  the  addition  of  storehouses  of  rum,  and 
sugar  mills,  soon  lit  up  the  whole  heavens  with  a  vast 
conflagration.  All  the  pent-up  hatred  of  long  years,  on 
the  part  of  the  slaves  for  their  cruel  masters,  burst  forth, 
and  they  rushed  upon  the  defenceless  planters  and  their 
families,  butchering  them  by  the  hundred,  and  throwing 
their  dismembered  bodies  into  the  flames. 

For  two  years,  bloody  skirmishes  were  kept  up  by  the 
whites  of  the  town  and  the  blacks  who  had  taken  possession 
of  the  plantations,  when  France  sent  three  commissioners 
and  a  fleet  of  naval  vessels  to  quell  the  uprising.  Tiring 
of  inactivity  and  angered  by  the  arrogance  of  the  free 
mulattoes,  the  sailors  of  the  fleet  entered  the  town  on  the 
20th  of  June,  1793,  intent  on  humbling  the  inhabitants. 
Many  whites    took  sides  with  the  sailors,  and  under  the 


A71  Earthquake  159 


very  eyes  of  the  blacks  in  the  plains  the  opposing  sides 
began  to  attack  each  other  in  the  town.  Finding  the  two 
sides  evenly  balanced,  the  commissioners  called  to  their 
aid  the  blacks,  and  these  were  brought  in  from  the 
surrounding  country  and  with  those  liberated  from  the 
jails  were  armed  ;  then  this  savage  and  blood-thirsty  horde 
were  turned  loose  on  the  miserable  townspeople  with 
unlimited  power  to  kill  and  maim  and  burn  to  their  ignorant 
hearts'  content.  The  negroes,  caring  not  whom  they 
attacked,  so  long  as  it  was  the  French,  poured  into  the 
ill-fated  town  like  a  river  of  fire.  Hundreds  of  the  towns- 
people were  drowned  in  the  attempt  to  escape  to  the 
vessels  in  the  harbor,  hundreds  perished  by  the  sword  or 
by  fire.  The  flames  were  applied  to  large  quantities  of  oils 
and  pitch  in  the  storehouses,  and  soon  the  town  looked  like 
a  volcano  with  a  mighty  column  of  fire  and  dense  smoke 
above  it.  The  governor,  seeing  the  disastrous  results  of 
the  foolhardy  experiment  of  arming  the  blacks,  sailed  from 
the  harbor  to  Norfolk,  Virginia,  with  over  10,000  exiles, 
most  of  whom  settled  in  the  United  States. 

Pestilence  followed  close  on  this  disaster,  and  those  who 
were  spared  by  the  fever  continued  the  bloody  feuds 
between  the  blacks  on  one  hand  and  the  whites  and 
mulattoes  on  the  other.  Then  Spain,  owning  the  eastern 
end  of  the  island,  undertook  to  control  the  blacks,  and  the 
latter  united  with  the  French  against  English,  Spanish, 
and  mulatto  forces.  This  alliance  with  their  old  enemies, 
the  French,  was  mainly  brought  about  by  a  leader  of  the 
blacks  known  as  Toussaint  L'Ouverture,  who  for  fifty-two 
years  had  been  a  plantation  slave,  and,  as  many  believe,  a 


160  The  Btttterfly  Hunters 


priest  of  witchcraft,  who,  in  return  for  his  influence  over 
the  blacks,  was  made  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Haiti  by  the 
French.  Having  shown  remarkable  energy  and  unusual 
intelligence,  considering  his  color  and  former  condition, 
the  French  government  appointed  him  to  a  military  posi- 
tion bearing  the  high-sounding  title  of  General-in-Chief  of 
Santo  Domingo  ;  and  in  the  proud  city,  where  but  six 
years  before  a  black  dared  not  to  speak  his  mind  aloud, 
one  of  the  down-trodden  race  now  lived  in  state,  lord  over 
the  highest  of  his  former  masters. 

France  soon  tired  of  the  idea  of  a  black  vested  with  such 
great  powers  in  what  was  once  her  proudest  and  most 
valued  colony,  and  she  sent  a  French  general  to  replace 
him.  Toussaint  willingly  retired  to  a  neighboring  planta- 
tion, which  had  come  into  his  possession ;  but  his  follow- 
ers would  not  remain  quiet  without  their  leader,  and  they 
suddenly  assembled  in  the  plain  again  by  night,  intent  on 
burning  the  city,  now  largely  rebuilt.  Suddenly  Toussaint 
appeared  among  them,  and  only  his  presence  restrained 
them  from  again  killing  the  French,  who  were  allowed  to 
embark  for  France. 

By  1802  prosperity  had  in  a  great  measure  returned  to 
the  city,  so  great  is  the  fertility  of  the  surrounding  country, 
and  so  ready  were  the  black  generals  to  use  their  authority 
to  work  the  estates  they  had  seized,  with  the  labor  of  their 
soldiers.  Then  Napoleon  determined  to  humble  the  rich 
and  rebellious  colony.  At  first  he  sent  25,000  troops 
against  about  as  many  blacks,  and  these  numbers  were 
afterwards  considerably  increased.  The  blacks  were 
commanded  by  Toussaint,  with  Generals  Dessalines  and 


An  Earthquake  161 


Christophe  as  his  aids.  The  former  had  been  a  plantation 
slave,  and  the  latter  a  waiter  in  a  cafe.  Both  died  kings, 
though  neither  of  them  could  read  when  first  called  to 
power.  When  the  French  fleet  appeared,  the  town  was 
cleared  of  all  its  population  save  the  armed  men,  and  at 
the  first  firing  from  the  ships  the  houses  were  systemati- 
cally fired.  Again  Cap  Haitien  went  up  in  flame,  and  on 
the  next  morning  there  was  nothing  but  blackened  ruins 
where  the  French  had  intended  to  make  their  headquarters 
in  a  handsome  city :  $20,000,000,  is  estimated  to  have 
been  the  loss.  The  French  immediately  began  rebuilding 
the  town,  but  the  yellow  fever  brought  their  enterprise  to 
a  stop,  and  before  it  was  through  with  them,  out  of  34,000 
soldiers,  24,000  were  dead,  7,000  were  invalided,  and  but 
3,000  remained  for  active  service,  in  nine  months.  For  a 
month  longer  they  held  out,  and  then  surrendered  to 
General  Dessalines,  the  former  plantation  black. 

From  this  date  until  181 1  the  city  enjoyed  comparative 
rest,  only  marred  by  the  massacre  of  all  the  French  by 
order  of  Dessalines,  who  had  been  declared  king.  He, 
having  been  put  to  death,  probably  by  his  own  followers 
jealous  of  his  power,  was  followed  by  the  cafe  waiter, 
Christophe,  who  established  an  hereditary  black  monarchy, 
the  first  and  only  one  of  its  kind  outside  of  Africa,  having 
himself  crowned  Henry  I.,  and  instituting  a  nobility  with 
such  ridiculous  titles  as  the  Duke  of  Lemonade,  the  Duke 
of  Marmalade,  and  others  equally  grotesque.  After  a 
barbarous  reign  he  died  by  his  own  hand  in  his  castle  of 
Sans  Souci  in  the  environs  of  the  city,  Oct.  8,  1820.  His 
rival,  President  Boyer  of  the  South  of  Haiti,  assumed  the 

M 


1 62  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


reins  of  government,  and  for  twenty-two  years  the  city 
knew  a  season  of  quiet  unprecedented  in  rebellious  Haiti. 
Then,  on  the  7th  of  May,  1842,  without  any  warning,  the 
whole  north  shore  of  the  island  was  convulsed  by  a  terrific 
earthquake,  and  Cap  Haitien  was  again  left  a  shapeless 
mass  of  crumbled  ruins.  Whole  towns  were  crushed, 
thousands  were  killed,  and  to  this  day  the  older  people  in 
the  towns  tell  how  the  country  people  rushed  in  to  plunder 
the  ruins  and  were  too  eager  for  ill-gotten  booty  to  lend 
a  helping  hand  to  their  dying  and  maimed  countrymen. 
Even  the  soldiers  from  the  neighboring  barracks  aided  in 
plundering  the  stores  that  were  filled  with  goods,  instead 
of  lending  their  aid  to  their  friends  and  even  to  their 
relatives  in  their  sore  distress.  From  this  last  blow  Cap 
Haitien  has  never  recovered  and  shows  no  signs  of  recover- 
ing ;  and  in  their  inhuman  actions  those  who  were  saved 
from  the  earthquake  to  join  in  the  pilfering  and  looting  set 
forth  more  plainly  than  could  volumes  of  print  the  true 
Haitian  character. 


CHAPTER   XI 

INTO    THE    WILDERNESS 

The  Palace  of  Sans  Souci  —  The  Citadel  of  La  Terriere  —  Productiveness 
of  the  Land  —  Along  the  Coast  —  A  Squalid  Land  —  Port  au  Prince  —  A 
Paris  of  Mud  —  A  Useful  Lesson  —  The  American  Minister  —  President 
Hippolyte  —  A  Strong  Contrast  —  Start  of  the  Cavalcade  —  A  Funeral 
Procession  —  Vaudoux   Orgies  —  Snake  Worship 

THE  next  day  was  principally  given  up  to  an  examina- 
tion of  the  ruins  of  the  Palace  of  Sans  Souci,  built 
by  Christophe  when  he  was  reigning  as  Henry  I.,  and  of 
the  Citadel  of  La  Terriere.  Coming  out  to  these  from  the 
squalor  of  the  present  town,  with  the  refuse  in  its  un- 
drained  streets  putrefying  in  the  hot  sun  and  its  irregular 
rows  of  miserable  hovels  in  which  dwelt  the  most  debased 
specimens  of  humanity  the  boys  had  ever  seen,  it  was 
hard  to  imagine  that  the  time  had  once  been  when  this 
region  was  one  of  the  proudest  and  wealthiest  of  the  West- 
ern World.  But  that  it  had  been  so,  the  signs  of  the 
stately  beauty  of  the  vine-overgrown  palace  and  the 
massive  walls  of  the  fortification  amply  attested.  Nothing 
but  a  wealthy  community  could  have  built  such  piles  as 
these  ;  and  the  ruins  of  the  citadel,  standing  aloft  on  a 
mountain  summit  nearly  3000  feet  high,  with  its  walls 
yet  80  feet  high  in  some  places  and  16  feet  thick,  with 
many  of  the  formidable  guns,  abandoned  nearly  a  century 
ago,  still  in  place,  were  a  silent  reproach  to  the  miserable 

163 


164  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


people  in  the  valley  below,  who  were  allowing  themselves 
as  they  had  allowed  it  to  lapse  back  into  uselessness. 

" Doctor,"  said  Harry,  "this  land  must  have  had  lots 
of  people  in  those  days  and  they  must  have  produced  more 
on  their  land  to  afford  such  magnificence  as  all  this,  must 
they  not  ? " 

"  Certainly  they  must.     At  the  close  of  the  last  century 
it  is  known  that  there  were  612,000  inhabitants  in  Haiti, 
of  whom  46,000  were  whites,  and,  although  by  this  time 
they  should  have  increased  quite  fourfold,  by  all  laws  of 
population,  such  is  the  effect  of   their  incessant  warfare 
and  wicked  habits  of  life  that  they  have  added  but  little 
to  their  numbers,  and  all  the  whites  have  gone.     In  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  the  sugar  plantations  of  this 
island  controlled  the  markets  of  the  world,  as  they  might 
still ;  to-day  they  get  much  of  their  sugar  from  foreign 
countries.     In  1789  a  half  million  laborers  cultivated  793 
sugar  plantations,  31 17  coffee  estates,  3150  indigo  planta- 
tions, and  735  cotton  plantations;  to-day  more  than  that 
number  of  laborers  work  nothing  but  a  few  paltry  coffee 
estates,  where  the  methods  pursued  are  so  careless  that 
Haitian  coffee  is  of  the  lowest  grades.     Under  Toussaint 
l'Ouverture,  470,000  people  produced  about  $25,000,000 
worth    of   coffee,    sugar,    cotton,    cacao,   indigo,    etc.,    for 
export;  while  but  30  years  later,  under  Boyer,   715,000 
people  produced  less  than  $8,500,000  worth,  and  the  show- 
ing has  been  growing  gradually  poorer  each  decade." 

In  many  other  ways  and  with  many  other  facts  and 
figures  the  Doctor  impressed  upon  the  boys  the  sure  and 
steady  decay  of  the  Haitian  people,  under  entire  and  un- 


Into  the    Wilderness  165 

trammelled  black  rule,  that  they  might  be  all  the  more 
impressed  with  the  contrast  that  awaited  them  under  a 
mixed  government  in  Jamaica. 

After  a  few  days  spent  in  collecting  in  and  around  Cap 
Haitien,  with  one  day  given  up  to  a  short  excursion  into 
the  rugged  interior,  the  Doctor  found  a  coasting  vessel 
about  to  make  the  trip  to  Port  au  Prince,  touching  at  the 
principal  ports  on  the  way.  As  this  would  afford  the  boys 
an  excellent  opportunity  to  see  something  more  of  Haitian 
town  life,  give  them  time  to  sort  and  arrange  their  collec- 
tion, which  had  been  accumulating  very  rapidly  of  late, 
and  also  be  a  good  chance  to  use  a  deep-sea  dredge  and 
trawl,  in  an  attempt  to  add  to  their  knowledge  of  marine 
forms,  he  decided  to  ship  on  this  vessel,  as  there  were  to 
be  but  few  passengers  and  they  could  have  plenty  of  room 
to  themselves. 

This  trip  was  made  in  a  thoroughly  leisurely  and  charac- 
teristically tropical  way;  at  every  port  they  made,  the 
Doctor  and  his  young  companions  had  ample  opportunity 
to  go  ashore  and  inspect  the  locality,  so  slow  was  the  work 
of  unloading  and  loading.  This  also  made  it  possible  for 
them  to  send  Dave  back  to  Port  a  Paix  with  the  horses 
they  had  hired  and  then  overland  with  'Lisha  and  Gabe 
to  meet  them  at  Port  au  Prince. 

There  was  a  monotonously  squalid  similarity  about  the 
towns  at  which  they  touched,  which  left  a  general  impres- 
sion of  the  degraded  poverty  of  the  whole  country,  and 
there  was  but  little  at  each  place  worthy  of  special  obser- 
vation. They  were  naturally  interested  in  their  first 
harbor  beyond  Port  a  Paix,  St.  Nicholas  Mole,  because  it 


1 66  The  Butterfly  Hmtters 

was  the  first  harbor  in  the  island  into  which  Columbus 
sailed  on  his  way  east  from  Cuba,  and  because  for  some 
years  the  United  States  has  been  trying  to  gain  possession 
of  that  harbor  by  special  treaty,  so  that  it  may  establish 
there  a  coaling  and  supply  station  for  its  navy  in  West 
Indian  waters.  The  harbor,  landlocked  and  with  deep 
water  throughout,  runs  in  eastwardly  for  about  a  mile  and 
then  bends  northward  almost  at  right  angles  for  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  further,  while  its  mouth,  with  Cape 
Mole  on  one  hand  and  Cape  St.  Nicholas  on  the  other 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  apart,  is  so  formed  as  to 
render  its  defence  very  easy. 

At  Port  a  Piment,  so  named  because  it  was  once  a 
principal  port  for  the  shipment  of  pimento,  or  West  Indian 
allspice,  the  boys  found  a  mere  village  backed  by  a  range  of 
rather  barren  hills,  while  at  Gonaives,  at  the  extreme 
northeastern  corner  of  the  great  bay  of  that  name,  they 
found  a  town  of  perhaps  6000  inhabitants,  on  the  upper 
arm  of  an  inlet  affording  an  excellent  harbor.  St.  Marc 
was  their  only  other  port  before  reaching  Port  au  Prince, 
and  it  they  found  to  be  an  uninteresting  town  of  about 
3000  souls  with  nothing  but  its  coffee  trade  to  attract 
passing  notice. 

These  five  ports,  although  the  distance  between  no  two 
of  them  was  over  a  few  hours'  run,  took  as  many  days,  but 
the  time  was  well  spent  in  sight-seeing  on  land  or  in 
classifying  collections  and  occasionally  examining  the 
dredge  that  was  allowed  to  drag  behind  the  vessel  part  of 
the  time.  This  raised  a  number  of  sea  forms,  of  both 
animal  and  plant  life,  that  were  curious  and  new  to  the 


Into  the    Wilder7iess  167 


boys,  which  the  Doctor  told  them  were  worth  saving  as 
additions  to  their  collections. 

Port  au  Prince,  the  capital  city  of  Haiti,  the  Doctor  told 
them  was  variously  estimated  to  contain  from  twenty  to 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants.     It    is  the  show  city  of  the 
island,  most    of   the    inhabitants    firmly  believing  that    it 
quite  equals  any  of  the  proud  capitals  of  Europe  or  Amer- 
ica.    As  they  sailed  into  the  harbor,  which  is  an  open  bay 
too  shallow  to  allow  of  vessels  of  any  size  coming  near  the 
wharves,  they  noticed  that  it  stood  low  in  a  swampy  plain, 
with   the  main    range   of   mountains    some  miles    in    the 
interior,  and    that    there    appeared  to  be  no  tides  in  the 
harbor  to  take  away  the  filth  of  the  city's  drainage  and 
bear  away  the  insufferable  stench  of  the  water  thus  made 
impure.     Yet,  while  they  were  observing  these  things,  a 
score  or  more  of  boats  put  out  from  the  shore  with  several 
colored  boys  in  each,  and  they  were  soon  made  aware  of 
the  fact  that,   notwithstanding  the  foul   condition  of    the 
water,  the    new  arrivals    had    come  out  in  the  hope  that 
some  of  the  passengers  would  throw  silver  pieces  overboard, 
after  which  the  darkies  would  jump  into  this  horrid  mess 
and  capture  them. 

The  Doctor,  in  describing  to  them  the  form  of  the 
town,  and  purposely  saying  nothing  of  its  condition,  had 
mentioned  streets  with  high-sounding  names,  Le  Grand 
Rue  being  among  the  number,  and  the  boys  were  quite 
unprepared  to  find  these  streets  little  better  than  gutters 
winding  their  way  through  hog-wallows.  Yet  as  they 
landed  on  a  tumble-down  wharf  and  carefully  picked  their 
way  from  stone    to    stone  through  the  filthy  streets,  the 


1 68  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


odor  of  which  beggared  description,  and  noticed  the 
irregularly  placed  wooden  houses,  many  of  them  but  little 
better  than  mere  hovels,  they  realized  how  little  real  basis 
there  was  for  the  grandiloquent  and  boastful  claims  which 
the  Haitians  made  for  their  city. 

The  boys  were  glad  when  Dave  joined  them  the  second 
day  of  their  stay  in  Port  au  Prince  and  the  Doctor  told 
them  that  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  them  from  at  once 
setting  to  work  to  prepare  for  their  trip  into  the  interior. 
The  ridiculous  attempt  at  show  made  by  the  wealthier 
negroes  of  the  city  was  disgusting  to  them,  reminding 
them,  as  Harry  put  it,  of  a  lot  of  monkeys  in  fine  clothes. 
The  sight  of  a  few  hundred  ragged,  barefooted  soldiers,  no 
two  holding  their  guns  alike,  and  all  of  them  marching  in 
the  most  helter-skelter  fashion,  with  more  than  a  dozen 
"Generals,"  wobbling  about  on  their  miserable  little 
horses,  was  such  a  parody  on  a  real  army,  that  Ned 
expressed  the  opinion  that  he  would  like  to  come  down  to 
the  island  with  about  fifty  New  York  policemen,  picked 
from  "  the  Broadway  squad,"  and  run  these  wretched  black 
mimics  of  real  soldiers  into  the  sea. 

For  these  opinions  they  got  a  lecture  from  the  Doctor. 
He  reminded  them  that  they,  the  descendants  of  Anglo- 
Saxons  who  had  never  been  enslaved,  had  for  many 
centuries  known  what  it  was  to  enjoy  their  rights,  while 
these  Africans,  as  he  had  before  told  them,  were  but  a  few 
years  out  of  the  most  degrading  bondage  imaginable,  in 
which  their  ancestors  had  lived  for  at  least  5000  years,  as 
shown  by  the  pictures  and  inscriptions  on  the  most  ancient 
Egyptian  monuments.     AVhen    they  got    to   Jamaica  and 


Into  the   Wilderness  169 

when  they  visited  other  West  Indian  islands,  they  would 
see  that  the  blacks  had  been  making  astonishing  progress 
in  civilization  and  culture.  Then  they  would  understand 
that  these  wretched  Haitians  were  not  to  be  despised 
because  they  were  negroes,  but  were  to  be  pitied  because 
they  had  made  the  mistake  of  attempting  self-civilization 
away  from  the  influence  of  the  whites.  Haiti  and  Santo 
Domingo  are,  even  to-day,  the  richest  and  most  fertile 
spots  in  all  the  Americas ;  every  useful  thing  can  be  grown 
in  them,  and  most  minerals  are  believed  to  be  hidden  in 
their  mountains  in  very  considerable  quantities.  Were 
these  bounteous  regions  to  be  opened  freely  to  Anglo-Saxon 
enterprise,  in  a  few  decades  no  land  on  the  earth  would  be 
able  to  surpass  them  for  wealth  and  charm.  But  under  the 
present  rule,  it  could  not  be  denied,  they  were  certainly 
becoming  less  civilized  and  more  degraded  every  year. 

"  People  who  claim  that  all  men  are  born  equal  ought  to 
come  down  here  and  take  a  look  around,"  said  Ned. 

"  I  think  you,  in  common  with  many  others,  misunder- 
stand that  theory,  or  fact,  as  it  really  is,"  the  Doctor 
replied.  "  No  sane  man  can  claim  to  believe  that  all  are 
born  equal,  as  a  comparison  in  our  own  color  will  easily 
show.  Surely,  the  idiotic  children  of  some  wretched 
drunken  father  and  mother,  who  have,  from  the  first,  had 
to  be  kept  in  a  public  insane  asylum,  cannot  have  been 
born  equal  with  a  Shakespeare,  a  Lincoln,  a  Napoleon,  or 
a  Bismarck.  What  is  meant  by  the  expression  is,  that  all 
men,  however  humble  or  obscure  their  origin,  however 
feeble  or  criminal  their  minds,  are  born  with  equal  rights. 
Whether  they  get  those  rights  is  not  in  the  question ;  that 


ryo  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


they  are  entitled  to  them  alike,  without  any  consideration 
of  their  position  in  life,  all  honorable  men  must  admit." 

It  was  decided  that  before  they  left  the  town,  it  was  both 
their  duty  and  privilege  to  call  upon  President  Hippolyte 
at   the   presidential    palace.     The  Doctor    had   letters  of 
introduction  to  the  American  Minister,  Mr.  John  Durham, 
of  Philadelphia,  a  young,  fine  looking,  very  light  mulatto 
gentleman,  who  was  well  educated,  and  was  altogether  a 
very  pleasant  man  to  know,  and  in  his  company  they  called 
by   appointment   on    the    President.     The   formality   and 
pomp  that  were  observed,  prepared  the  boys  to  meet  a  very 
impressive   and   commanding   personage,  and  when   they 
were  at  last  ushered  into  the  presence  of  a  black  man  with 
nothing   but    his  clothes  to  indicate    that   there  was  any 
difference   between   him   and   his   fellow   countrymen,    it 
was   with   great    difficulty  that   their   surprise   was   kept 
from  showing  itself  in  their  faces.     After  the  usual  formal 
words  of   greeting  and  assurances    of   respect    had   been 
exchanged  on  both  sides  and  the  purpose  of  their  proposed 
visit  into  the  interior  had  been  explained  to  Mr.  Hippolyte, 
he  informed  them  that  he  would  see  that  they  were  pro- 
vided   with    suitable   letters    of    introduction    that   would 
secure  them  a  safe  and  pleasant  trip  inland.     Then  with  a 
few  more  words  of  mere  formality,  they  withdrew.     Having 
bidden  Minister  Durham  good-bye,  after  accepting  an  invita- 
tion to  take  dinner  with  him  that  evening,  they  returned 
to  their  hotel,  where  they  were  soon  busy  in  the  midst  of 
packing  a  lot  of  their  collections  to  ship  on  the  next  north- 
bound  steamer.      While    they   were   thus    engaged,    the 
Doctor  said, 


Into  the    Wilderness  171 

"We  have  just  had  an  excellent  example  of  the  differ- 
ences that  can  exist  in  the  negro  races,  just  as  they  can 
in  our  own.  Mr.  Durham  is  a  product  of  Northern  civiliza- 
tion and  freedom  as  it  is  to  be  observed  in  Philadelphia, 
where  the  colored  man  is  given  a  better  opportunity  to 
develop  his  mind  and  make  headway  in  the  world  than 
anywhere  else  in  our  country  ;  while  President  Hippolyte 
is  a  natural  product  of  Haitian  ignorance  and  lack  of 
progressiveness. " 

The  Doctor  had  planned  the  trip  to  last  about  three 
weeks,  so  that  they  would  proceed  directly  into  the 
interior,  cross  the  Santo  Domingan  frontier  in  the  south- 
east, encamp  a  few  days  on  the  shores  of  Laguna  Enri- 
quillo,  then  proceed  to  ascend  the  La  Selle  range  of 
mountains,  attempting  to  climb  the  main  peak  of  La 
Selle,  and  from  there  proceed  along  the  southern  coast 
to  Jacmel,  where  they  could  either  take  the  Royal  Mail 
Line  direct  to  Jamaica,  or  could  take  a  coasting-vessel 
back  to  Port  au  Prince,  and  from  there  proceed  to  Jamaica 
by  the  Atlas  Line.  To  carry  this  out,  they  found  it  would 
be  necessary  to  make  the  journey  with  four  horses  besides 
the  mule,  Gabe ;  so  Dave  found  an  intelligent,  trustworthy 
black  man  who  had  made  much  the  same  trip  as  the  guide 
of  a  Boston  collector  of  birds,  a  few  years  before,  and  he 
also  hired  the  necessary  horses.  Heretofore,  as  the 
Doctor  told  them,  they  had  had  experience  with  only 
the  easiest  and  pleasantest  forms  of  camp  life ;  now  they 
were  to  try  their  talents  in  battling  with  the  interior  wil- 
derness and  if  they  could  come  out  of  that  none  the  worse 
for  the  wear,  he  would  know  that  they  were  of  the  true 


172  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

stuff  that  explorers  were  made  of,  and  that  it  was  safe  to 
take  them  anywhere. 

The  first  few  days  did  not  differ  materially  from  what 
they  had  already  become  acquainted  with,  save  that  they 
had  left  the  sea  and  the  plains  behind  and  had  come 
into  such  interminable  ranges  of  mountains  that  there 
hardly  seemed  to  be  a  square  foot  of  level  ground  any- 
where. Whites  had  disappeared  and  even  mulattoes  were 
scarce,  but  as  they  had  come  prepared  to  depend  on  their 
own  cooking  entirely,  they  were  none  the  worse  for  that. 
On  the  night  of  their  fourth  day,  after  much  tedious  moun- 
tain climbing  up  and  down  bridle  paths,  that  were  simply 
the  nearly  dry  beds  of  mountain  torrents,  and  an  evening 
given  up  to  the  active  pursuit  of  some  very  rare  moths, 
they  were  just  about  to  retire  when  in  the  distance  they 
heard  a  most  indescribable  din,  that  was  clearly  made  by 
human  voices  mingled  with  the  beloved  tom-toms  and 
bamboo  fifes  and  that  was  evidently  rapidly  coming  their 
way. 

"Dem  horses  bettah  be  tied  good  an'  strong,"  said 
Dave,  on  hearing  it.  "  Day's  city  horses  an'  day  is  boun' 
to  brek  loose  when  dat  dere  'cession  comes  'long."  With 
which  remark  he  and  his  assistant  Henri  busied  them- 
selves with  visiting  the  five  trees  where  their  charges 
were  tied  and  making  sure  that  they  were  well  secured. 

"A  procession,  does  he  call  it?"  asked  Ned.  "What 
sort  of  a  procession  is  it ;  do  they  have  political  parades 
out  here  in  the  back  woods  ? " 

"  Well,  hardly,"  the  Doctor  replied,  laughing  at  the 
idea.     "  It  is  most  likelv  to  be  a  funeral  procession." 


Into  the    Wilderness  173 

"A  funeral!  Well  that  rather  goes  ahead  of  anything 
ridiculous  we  have  yet  heard  of  them.  Do  they  bury  their 
dead  at  night,  and  do  they  make  a  jollification  of  it  ?  " 
Ned  asked,  as  he  heard  the  laughter  and  shouts  that  were 
mingled  with  the  unearthly  din. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  procession  of  perhaps  seventy-five 
men,  women,  and  children  was  abreast  of  them,  and  there 
was  no  trouble  in  discovering  that  it  was,  as  the  Doctor 
had  imagined,  a  funeral  procession ;  for  after  the  half 
dozen  tom-tom  and  fife  players  came  four  men  carrying 
a  coffin  on  two  poles  over  their  shoulders.  But  even  that 
was  not  by  any  means  all  the  proof  of  tthe  solemn  nature 
of  the  reason  for  their  being  out  at  such  a  late  hour ;  for  on 
the  shoulders  of  four  other  men  was  carried  an  ordinary 
chair,  and  in  that,  tied  fast  in  a  sitting  position,  was  car- 
ried along  the  corpse  of  an  elderly  woman,  nodding  and 
bobbing  around  in  a  most  gruesome  and  uncanny  fashion. 
This  sight  sent  a  cold  chill  through  the  boys,  who  had 
always  been  taught  to  regard  the  dead  with  a  sort  of 
veneration  almost  akin  to  fear.  And  after  the  howling, 
hooting  mob  had  disappeared  around  a  turn  in  the  path, 
they  sat  and  looked  at  each  other  and  at  the  Doctor 
speechless  with  wonder.  Finally  Ned  got  his  voice  and 
asked  the  Doctor  whether  that  was  an  ordinary  burial 
ceremony,  or  whether  it  was  not  some  very  unusual 
performance. 

"What  you  have  just  seen,"  was  the  reply,  "illustrates 
how  deeply  rooted  the  old  superstitions  and  habits  of  their 
native  Africa  have  remained  in  these  poor  heathen  in 
spite  of   the  century  or  two  of  Christian   teaching  they 


174  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

have  had  since  coming  here.  No  doubt  the  Catholic 
priest,  if  there  is  one  living  near  here,  has  already  per- 
formed the  rites  of  his  church  at  the  home  of  the  dead. 
But  after  he  has  been  dismissed,  the  relatives  have  called 
in  the  Papaloi,  or  priest  of  the  snake  worship,  and  to  his 
ceremonies  they  will  give  more  heed  and  attach  more 
importance,  as  well  as  pay  much  more  for  them,  than 
to  those  of  the  Christian  father.  After  the  latter  left 
the  house  they,  probably,  held  a  sort  of  walk-around,  —  the 
dead  being  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  —  howling 
and  wailing,  singing  and  roaring,  together  with  eating  and 
drinking,  being  the  principal  forms  of  the  ceremony  there. 
The  next  ceremony  you  have  just  seen,  and  the  last, 
which  will  probably  be  enacted  near  here,  will  be  at  the 
grave's  side,  and  will  be  even  worse  and  less  decorous 
than  the  others." 

"  This  snake  worship  or  Vaudoux  seems  to  be  mixed  up 
in  everything  they  do,"  said  Harry. 

"The  worship  of  the  snake,  you  know,  is  as  old  a 
form  of  idolatry  as  any  of  which  we  have  historic  knowl- 
edge, dating  back  even  farther  than  sun  worship.  It  is  so 
grounded  in  the  negro  character  that  they  hardly  dare 
move  or  think  without  considering  it,  where  they  still 
observe  it.  While  it  can  be  found  in  greatly  modified 
forms  wherever  the  blacks  live,  even  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  having  a  few  Vaudoux  priests,  without 
doubt,  and  there  called  'voodoo  doctors,'  still  the  in- 
terior of  Haiti  must  be  admitted  to  be  its  headquarters 
in  America.  So  thoroughly  does  it  enter  into  daily 
life    here,     that     no    funeral,     wedding,    birth,    or     even 


Into  the    Wilderness  175 


christening   is   considered    complete  without  its  Vaudoux 
ceremonials." 

"  Why  can't  we  go  and  see  what  they  are  doing  at  the 
grave,  Doctor?"  Ned  asked. 

"I  hardly  think  it  is  entirely  safe,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Should  they  see  us  spying  upon  them,  it  would  probably 
end  in  trouble  ;  might  even  end  very  seriously,  in  fact. 
There  are  a  good  many  ways  in  which  they  could  seriously 
annoy  us  or  make  our  expedition  impossible.  They  might 
even  go  to  the  lengths  of  injuring  our  horses  in  some  way, 
or  they  might  poison  our  drinking-water,  so  as  to  make  us 
all  sick  for  a  week  or  two,  even  if  we  escaped  with  our 
lives.  It  is  rather  too  risky  an  experiment  to  try,  don't 
vou  think  so  ? "  The  Doctor  addressed  his  last  remarks 
to  Dave,  who  came  up  at  that  moment,  knowing  that 
Henri  could  not  understand  English  and  that  Dave  was 
entirely  free  from  any  taint  of  the  Vaudoux  superstition. 

"Tell  yo'  what  I  ken  do,  Massah  Doctor,"  Dave  said; 
"  I  ken  tek  de  young  gen'men  wid  me,  and  mek  believe 
we  is  gone  after  some  mo'  o'  dem  night-butterflies.  Den 
you  ken  keep  Henri  yere  an'  I  reckon  we  ken  find  de 
bur'yal-place  in  de  dark.  I'll  be  mighty  careful  o'  Massah 
Ned  and  Massah  Harry,  an'  yo'  needn'  hab  no  uneasiness 

about  dem." 

"Well,  boys,  if  you  are  willing  to  risk  it,  under  such 
good  guidance,  I  guess  you  can  go.  I'll  trust  Dave  to  get 
you  out  all  right  with  a  first-class  excuse,  if  you  are 
detected  ;  but  you  must  obey  him  in  every  particular,  for 
there  is  no  hiding  the  fact  that  it  is  ticklish  business,  at 
the  best,  this  peeping  around  after  the  Vaudoux  practices." 


176  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


Each  of  the  three  having  put  his  pistol  belt  on  and 
Dave  having  tied  up  'Lisha,  so  that  he  would  not  follow 
them  and  disclose  their  presence  by  shaking  to  death  any 
Haitian  dog  that  might  come  sniffling  around  them,  they 
started  off,  Dave  in  the  lead  down  the  rocky  path,  occa- 
sionally flashing  the  bull's-eye  lantern  on  the  worst  parts, 
although  keeping  it  most  of  the  time  perfectly  dark. 
After  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  of  the  most  difficult 
scrambling,  harder  work  than  would  have  been  five  miles 
of  mountain  climbing  by  daylight,  they  came  suddenly  on 
an  opening  in  the  undergrowth,  which  was  enclosed  in  a 
cactus  hedge  and  in  the  centre  of  which  stood  a  bamboo 
hut,  back  of  which  burned  a  fire  of  considerable  size. 
This  clearing  or  yard  was  well  filled  with  the  funeral 
party,  and  on  a  rude  bier  was  the  coffin  in  which  was 
the  corpse,  although  the  lid  had  not  yet  been  put  in 
place. 

Dave  whispered  to  the  boys  to  follow  him  with  great 
care  and  utter  no  sound  under  any  circumstances  ;  then 
he  led  them  to  a  point  where  a  break  in  the  cactus  hedge 
made  it  easy  for  them  to  see  all  that  was  going  on  in  the 
yard  without  running  much  risk  of  being  seen.  Near  the 
coffin  stood  a  tall,  commanding  man,  as  black  as  coal  but 
with  almost  snow-white  hair  on  his  uncovered  head,  who 
the  boys  knew  instinctively  was  the  priest  of  the  witch- 
craft. He  was  swaying  from  side  to  side  in  front  of  a  box 
that  seemed  to  have  a  wicker-work  front,  and  into  this 
he  was  constantly  sticking  the  fingers  of  his  right  hand. 
After  watching  him  closely  for  a  time,  they  saw  that  as 
the  crowd,  which  was  formed   in  a  huge  ring   that  was 


Into  the    Wilderness  lyy 


slowly  dancing  round  him,  passed  him  the  leaders  pressed 
their  hands  in  his  and  immediately  his  sought  the  box. 
Still  closer  watching  disclosed  the  fact  that  offerings  of 
small  coins  appeared  to  be  changing  from  the  possession 
of  the  crowd  in  the  ring  into  the  box,  through  the  hands 
of  the  Papaloi. 

Rapidly  the  dancing  ring  grew  wilder  and  wilder,  and 
the  boys  noticed  that  near  the  fire  there  was  a  large  pot 
which  most  of  them,  even  the  younger  ones,  frequently 
visited  for  a  drink,  and  the  whiffs  of  odor  that  came  from 
it  told  that  it  was  some  intoxicant  that  thus  attracted 
them.  After  a  while  the  younger  people  and  the  more 
feeble  of  the  old  ones  began  to  drop  away  from  the  whirl- 
ing mob,  and  one  by  one  the  stronger  and  more  active 
began  to  grow  more  wildly  excited,  bowing  and  assuming 
strange  postures  before  first  the  coffin  and  then  the  box. 
Then  the  fire  was  nearly  put  out  and  the  robust  dancers 
now  left  began  to  tear  off  their  clothing  and  to  grow 
actually  frantic  in  their  savagery.  Through  it  all  the 
Papaloi  kept  up  the  same  monotonous  swaying  to  and 
fro,  the  same  monotonous  passing  of  his  hand  from  the 
circling  line  of  dancers  to  the  box,  and  never  for  a  moment 
flagged  in  a  sing-song  sort  of  incantation  over  the  dead 
body. 

As  the  crowd  continued  to  grow  even  more  frantic 
and  the  din  was  such  that  they  could  speak  to  each  other 
with  safety,  Dave  called  the  boys'  attention  to  the  fact  that 
there  was  something  to  be  seen  dimly  moving  in  the  box, 
and  told  them  that  was  the  snake  to  which  the  blacks 
were  making  their  offerings  of  coin  and  promises  of  fruit 

N 


1 78  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


and  vegetables  to  be  delivered  at  the  hut  of  its  priest,  the 
Papaloi,  on  the  morrow,  sagely  adding, 

"It'll  be  mighty  liT  money  or  gahden  truck  dat  de 
snake  '11  get,  after  dat  ole  debil,  de  Voodoo  man,  gets 
what  he  teks  out  as  his  share,  sho'  'nough." 

Then  as  he  told  them  this  performance  might  continue 
until  almost  daylight,  they  turned  and  followed  him  back 
to  the  tent,  which  they  reached  well  worn  out,  but  glad 
that  they  had  had  an  opportunity  to  see  what,  probably, 
no  other  American  boys  had  ever  seen  under  like  unusual 
and  dangerous  circumstances. 

"Yer  we  is,  Massah  Doctor;  and  no  one  de  wiser  ob 
ouah  bein'  neah  de  debilment.  It  war  jes'  de  same  ole 
snake-dance  what  yo'  an'  I'se  seen  befo',"  said  Dave,  as 
they  rejoined  the  Doctor. 

"  Well,  boys,  what  do  you  think  of  a  Vaudoux  burial  ? " 
the  Doctor  asked.  "  It's  hardly  as  solemn  a  ceremony  as 
we  are  accustomed  to,  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  not !  "  exclaimed  Ned.  "  I  must  confess 
I  don't  see  what  it  is  all  about.  Why  they  do  all  the 
howling  and  dancing,  and  why  they  pay  that  gray-haired 
old  impostor  all  the  money  they  can  scrape  together,  is 
too  much  for  me." 

"  Simply  because  they  firmly  believe  in  his  power  to 
assure  the  safe  passage  of  the  dead  from  this  world  to 
eternal  bliss.  The  priest  of  the  snake  claims  no  more 
power  than  does  the  other  priest,  nor  does  he  charge  any 
more  for  what  he  does  claim  to  do  ;  but  he  is  shrewd 
enough  to  prove  his  power  by  an  occasional  poisoning  or 
some   other  form   of   sickness-producing  magic,  and  also 


2. 

a- 
> 

o 
o 


Q 

D 

O 
D 

- 


Into  the    Wilderness  179 

he  works  their  love  of  noise,  the  dance,  hot  rum,  and  a 
general  orgie,  into  his  ceremonials.  The  noise  and  danc- 
ing are  both  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  snake  and  to 
frighten  away  evil  spirits  who  want  to  gain  possession  of 
the  departed  soul." 

"  Is  the  soul  supposed  to  be  safe  in  heaven  when  they 
get  through  with  their  shindy  ?  "  asked  Harry. 

"  No ;  it  is  simply  in  a  place  of  safety  and  comfort  for 
the  next  nine  days.  If  we  were  here  on  the  ninth  night 
from  this,  we  should  witness  just  such  another  orgie,  save 
that,  as  it  began  without  the  aid  of  the  Christian  priest, 
it  would  become  disorderly  earlier  in  the  evening  and 
would  be  more  of  a  general  drunk  before  it  ended." 


CHAPTER    XII 

CAMP    CONTENTMENT 

Luxuriant  Vegetation — The  Cocoanut-palm  —  The  Useful  Bamboo  —  Gor- 
geous Butterflies  —  The  Butterfly  Gun  —  A  Coveted  Rarity  —  Ladder 
Building  —  The  Moth  Beacon  —  A  Weird  Sight  —  Giant  Bats  —  Lotip- 
garoos  or  Vampires  —  A  Midnight  Experience  —  A  Rich  Harvest  — Hum- 
ming-birds —  A  Tiny  Songster  —  Scientific  Names 

"  T~\OCTOR,  the  further  we  go  into  this  wonderland 

■*— *  the  more  I  find  to  surprise  me  in  the  plants  and 
trees,"  said  Ned.  "Are  all  tropical  lands  as  overgrown 
with  all  sorts  of  vegetation  as  this  island  ? " 

"Not  all,"  was  the  reply;  "some  lands  are  so  poorly- 
supplied  with  rain  that  they  are  but  scantily  covered  with 
growth,  but  most  tropical  countries  are  as  densely  provided 
as  this  and  many  much  more  so.  What  impresses  you  the 
most  in  the  plant-life  of  the  island,  Ned  ? " 

"The  bamboos  and  palms,  I  think;  although  the  air- 
plants  and  the  ferns  are  about  as  wonderful.  I  think  the 
first  two,  however,  are  of  much  more  use  to  mankind,  are 
they  not  ? " 

"  Undoubtedly  they  are  !  It  has  been  said  that  if  a  man 
was  landed  on  a  desert  island  where  there  was  nothing  but 
cocoanut-palms  he  need  feel  no  fear  of  death.  From  that 
tree  he  can  derive  food,  shelter,  clothing,  fuel,  building- 
materials,  fibres,   paper,   sugar,   oil,  wine,  and    a   host  of 

minor  products.     From  its  nut,  the  milk  and  jelly  of  which 

1 80 


Camp   Contentment  181 


you  boys  never  seem  to  tire  of,  can  also  be  made  an  excel- 
lent oil,  a  fair  wine,  and  a  not  bad  sugar.  From  the  cover- 
ing of  the  outer  husk  excellent  fibres  for  hats,  mats,  twines, 
hammocks,  beddings,  and  clothing  can  be  made.  The 
trunk  will  make  good  canoes,  fine  firewood,  and  excellent 
building-materials  ;  while  the  best  of  roofs  and  fair  walls 
can  be  made  of  the  giant  leaves.  Certainly  a  man  so 
placed  could  keep  life  going  with  the  aid  of  this  tree  until 
he  had  started  an  orchard  of  native  fruits,  and  from  it  he 
could  manufacture  the  lines,  arrows,  and  bows  with  which 
animals  and  fish  could  be  made  to  contribute  to  the  variety 
of  the  table.  The  cocoanut-palm  has  well  been  termed 
the  prince  among  trees,  and  the  great  explorer  Von  Hum- 
boldt gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  was  of  more  universal 
value  to  the  people  who  enjoyed  its  possession  than  was 
any  other  single  product  of  the  animal,  vegetable,  or  min- 
eral kingdoms  to  any  people  in  the  world." 

"Bamboos  seem  almost  as  useful,  with  the  exception 
of  not  affording  any  food,  don't  they,  Doctor?"  asked 
Harry. 

"  Perhaps  they  may  be  said  to  stand  next  in  importance," 
the  Doctor  said.  "  Although  the  omission  of  food  is  a 
great  one.  In  addition  to  the  cocoanut,  there  are  also  the 
date  and  sago  palms,  besides  a  large  number  of  kinds  having 
excellent  fruits,  but  not  well  known  outside  of  tropical 
lands.  And  the  Haitian  emblem  of  liberty,  the  Cabbage 
Palm,  also  furnishes  a  food  that  these  natives  value  much. 
But  as  the  'cabbage'  is  the  end  bud  of  the  tree,  the 
removal  of  which  leads  to  its  death,  it  is  a  very  wasteful 
sort  of  food." 


1 82  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

"Are  palm-trees  of  the  same  sort  as  oaks  and  pines? 
Do  they  live  as  long  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Palms  are  really  of  a  low  order  of  growth,  botanically 
considered.  In  some  species  they  do  not  flower  until  at 
an  advanced  age,  immediately  after  which  they  die,  just  as 
does  any  annual  plant,  wheat  or  corn  for  example." 

"  What  are  some  of  the  best  uses  of  bamboo,  Doctor  ? " 
asked  Ned. 

"  I  need  hardly  mention  house-building,  I  suppose,"  the 
Doctor  replied.  "  You  have  had  hundreds  of  examples  of 
how  the  whole  house,  except  the  palm-leaf  roof,  is  made 
from  bamboo,  and  you  know  enough  of  their  interiors  to 
know  that  tables,  chairs,  cradles,  cups,  saucers,  water-jars, 
and  even  cooking-utensils  are  made  from  this  useful  grass  ; 
for  it  is  only  a  mammoth  grass,  after  all.  Then  it  can  be 
used  to  make  suspension  bridges,  pavements  for  muddy 
paths,  the  best  of  ladders ;  and  very  good  fences  and 
water-pipes  can  also  be  made  of  it." 

"  How  high  are  some  of  these  giant  grasses,  as  you  call 
them  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"I  judge  some  are  quite  85  or  90  feet  high,  that  we 
have  thus  far  seen.  In  some  countries,  notably  in  India, 
they  have  been  measured  to  be  230  feet  high  and  14 
inches  through  at  the  base,  and  from  some  of  these  mam- 
moth kinds  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pacific  islands  make 
canoes  by  simply  splitting  a  suitable  length  in  two,  each 
half  making  a  canoe  that  will  hold  two  men." 

This  conversation  took  place  at  "  Camp  Contentment," 
as  Ned  had  named  their  camp  on  the  south  shore  of 
Laguna    Enriquillo  which,  after   several   days  of   tedious 


Camp   Contentment  183 


work,  much  of  which  consisted  of  walking  along  paths  that 
were   little   better    than    the    beds    of    streams,  they  had 
reached,  well  tired  out  and  quite  content  to  spend  five  or 
six  days  there  in  resting  and  studying  Nature  in  one  of  its 
most  attractive  spots.     The  point    where    they  were    en- 
camped was  a  charming  one.    Back  of  them  was  the  almost 
impenetrable  wall  of   the  dense  woods,  through  much  of 
which  only  cutting  the  way  with  an  axe  or  cutlass  would 
make  it   possible  to  proceed,  and  then  only  at  a  rate  of 
perhaps  an  eighth  of  a  mile  per  hour.      In  front  of  them 
were  the  placid,  blue  waters  of  the  lake  and  beyond  on  the 
far  side  another  wall  of  impassable  verdure.     There  was 
nothing  to  indicate  that  there  was  a  living  soul  within  a 
hundred  miles  of   them.     As   Ned  well   said,  he  felt  as 
completely  as  did  Robinson  Crusoe  the  right  to  say  :  — 

"lam  monarch  of  all  I  survey, 

My  rights  there  are  none  to  dispute." 

Butterflies,  their  principal  coveted  treasures,  were  here 
most  abundant ;  nowhere  else  had  such  a  number  of 
species  and  such  hordes  of  certain  kinds  been  seen  by 
them.  One  beautiful  variety,  a  combination  of  azure  blue 
and  mother-of-pearl,  glinting  and  flashing  like  a  cluster 
of  rare  gems  in  the  sunlight,  was  especially  common  on 
the  sand  at  the  margin  of  the  lake.  When  a  group  of 
these  exquisite  creatures,  perhaps  two  or  three  hundred 
in  number,  flew  up  in  one  glistening  mass  on  the  approach 
of  the  collector,  the  sight  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten, 
and  Harry  expressed  it  as  his  opinion  that  a  shower  of 
diamonds  could  not  be  more  surprisingly  and  entrancingly 
beautiful.     But  the  moist  sand  and  the  low-growing  flowers 


184  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


did  not  by  any  means  attract  all  the  beauties  that  they 
longed  for  or  that  they  caught  glimpses  of.  Many  a 
rare  species  made  its  presence  known  only  by  sailing 
lazily  overhead,  perhaps  seventy-five  feet  or  more  from  the 
ground.  Often  they  would  catch  sight  of  one  particular 
kind  quite  six  inches  across  the  wings,  sailing  around  more 
like  a  bird  than  a  butterfly,  which  the  Doctor  told  them 
was  probably  the  rarest  species  found  in  the  island ;  not 
rare  in  fact,  he  explained  to  them,  but  rare  in  collections, 
simply  because  it  was  so  nearly  impossible  ever  to  get  a 
chance  to  reach  it  with  the  longest  net  handle  that  could 
be  wielded.  In  some  cases  in  the  Amazonian  forests  the 
Doctor  had  used  a  gun  made  to  shoot  water-cartridges,  he 
told  them  ;  a  gun  in  which,  after  thoroughly  greasing  the 
cartridge  shell,  water  was  put  in  the  place  of  shot,  and 
from  which  it  was  fired  in  a  solid  globule  which,  if  it  hit 
the  butterfly,  stunned  it  so  that  it  fell  to  the  ground, 
where  it  could  usually  be  captured  before  it  regained  its 
powers  of  flight.  But  he  had  not  thought  it  worth  while 
to  bring  such  a  gun  on  this  expedition,  though  he  would 
certainly  do  so  if  he  ever  had  the  pleasure  of  taking  them 
to  South  America,  as  he  hoped  he  might. 

For  two  days  Harry,  rather  the  more  enthusiastic  collec- 
tor of  the  two,  had  given  much  of  his  time  to  watching 
these  royal  creatures  with  longing  eyes,  as  they  sailed 
around  far  out  of  his  reach.  On  the  morning  of  the  third 
day  he  came  to  the  Doctor  in  breathless  haste,  saying :  — 

"Oh,  Doctor,  come  with  me  quick!  I  have  found  a 
tree,  the  top  of  which  is  full  of  flowers  and  there  must  be 
quite  twenty-five  of  those  beautiful  Papilios  sucking  honey 


Camp  Contentment  185 

from  them.  If  we  can  only  climb  to  the  top,  I  know  we 
can  get  at  least  a  dozen,  at  any  rate." 

When  the  Doctor  saw  the  spot  that  Harry  had  dis- 
covered, which  was  a  vast  cluster  of  the  flowers  of  a  climb- 
ing-plant that  had  grown  quite  to  the  top  and  all  over  the 
central  limb  of  a  mighty  forest  monarch,  he  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Well,  Harry,  you  couldn't  have  found  a  worse  place  to 
get  up  to  for  miles  around.  Why,  that  first  limb  is  sixty 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  two  of  us,  holding  each  other's 
hands,  could  hardly  reach  around  the  trunk ;  then  how  do 
you  suppose  we  can  ever  get  into  the  top,  which  must  be 
quite  140  feet  from  the  ground  ?  If  you  will  tell  me  how, 
we  will  try  your  plan,  if  it  is  safe." 

"  Can't  we  make  some  sort  of  an  arrangement  with 
vegetable  ropes ;  or  can't  Dave  or  Henri  tell  us  some 
way  to  climb  into  it  ? "  asked  Harry,  looking  much  dis- 
appointed. 

For  answer  the  Doctor  walked  back  to  the  tent,  where 
dinner  was  being  prepared,  and  asked  each  of  the  black 
men  if  he  knew  any  way  to  climb  to  the  top  of  such  a 
tree ;  but  each  assured  him  that  it  could  not  be  done. 
This  was  very  disappointing  to  Harry  and  to  Ned  also, 
when  he  had  been  with  his  brother  to  gaze  up  at  the  idly- 
sailing  prizes,  so  far  from  their  reach.  During  the  dinner 
both  boys  were  very  quiet,  each  evidently  being  busy 
racking  his  brain  in  an  attempt  to  invent  some  sure 
method  of  scaling  that  mighty  height ;  but  when  dinner 
was  over  and  the  Doctor  put  the  question  again  to  them, 
all  four  were  compelled  to  admit  that  the  problem  appeared 
to  be  too  hard  to  be  solved. 


1 86  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

"  Well,  if  you  all  give  the  puzzle  up,  I  will  show  you  a 
plan  that  I  saw  in  use  in  Borneo  and  that  I  have  used  in 
Brazil  and  Venezuela  frequently,  by  which  we  shall  be  in 
the  top  of  that  tree  before  four  hours  have  passed.  Ordi- 
narily so  much  trouble  as  we  are  now  going  to  take  is 
hardly  worth  while,  but  as  we  shall  be  here  two  or  three 
days  longer  and  as  those  butterflies  are  so  valuable  that  a 
dozen  of  them  will  sell  for  enough  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
our  entire  trip  into  the  interior,  I  think  it  worth  while  in 
this  case." 

So  saying,  the  Doctor  commissioned  Dave  to  cut  him 
five  stout  bamboo  poles  about  forty  feet  long  and  not  less 
than  four  inches  in  diameter ;  and  Henri  he  told  to  bring 
him  several  hundred  feet  of  strong,  flexible  vegetable 
ropes.  The  boys  he  sent  out  to  cut  about  fifty  bamboo 
sticks  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  and  one-half  inches 
thick  and  thirty  inches  long,  telling  each  of  the  messengers 
to  bring  the  first  fourth  part  of  his  task  to  the  tree  to  be 
climbed,  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  it.  When  Ned  and 
Harry  arrived  with  a  dozen  of  their  bamboo  sticks,  they 
found  the  Doctor  already  cutting  notches  at  regular  inter- 
vals in  a  bamboo  pole  that  Dave  had  brought,  while  on  the 
ground  lay  a  pile  of  vegetable  ropes  cut  into  four-foot 
lengths.  The  Doctor  was  inclined  to  be  non-committal, 
and  they  went  away  after  more  sticks,  much  mystified. 

When  they  came  back  with  the  next  arm-load  of  sticks, 
however,  the  Doctor's  plan  was  instantly  plain  to  them; 
for  he  was  already  about  twenty  feet  in  the  air  on  a  stout 
ladder,  one  side  of  which  was  the  tree  and  the  other 
one  of  Dave's  poles.     Having  stood  the  latter  upright  by 


Camp  Contentment  187 


the  tree  and  about  two  feet  from  it,  he  tied  it  fast  to  two 
of  the  bamboo  sticks  which,  after  pointing  their  hard  ends, 
he  had  driven  deep  into  the  bark  of  the  tree.  The  outer 
ends  of  these  sticks  fitted  into  notches  cut  in  the  upright 
pole,  and  in  that  position  they  had  been  firmly  tied  with 
the  pieces  of  vegetable  rope.  These  first  two  rounds  of  a 
ladder  which  would  finally  reach  into  the  tree-top  held  the 
pole  so  securely,  that,  after  another  was  in  place,  the  Doc- 
tor could  stand  on  the  lower  one,  and,  steadying  himself 
against  the  other  two,  drive  a  fourth  into  place  and  tie  it, 
in  turn.  Thus  he  went  up  two  feet  at  a  time,  so  that 
by  the  time  he  was  thirty  feet  from  the  ground  he  had 
a  ladder  almost  as  firm  as  the  tree  into  which  one  side 
of  it  was  securely  driven  ;  and  from  that  point  he  had 
Dave  reach  up  another  pole  which  he  tied  with  great  care 
to  the  lower  one,  their  ends  overlapping  ten  feet  and  the 
notches  in  each  coming  together  so  that  the  next  three  or 
four  rounds  would  help  bind  both  the  more  firmly. 

As  he  promised  them,  by  the  time  five  o'clock  had 
arrived,  although  it  was  after  one  o'clock  when  they  started 
to  work,  they  were  able  to  climb  up  120  feet  into  the  tree, 
at  which  point  the  limbs  were  so  placed  that  they  had 
little  difficulty  in  reaching  the  highest  possible  point. 
This  was  an  engineering  triumph  that  delighted  the  boys 
and  brought  forth  many  words  of  praise  from  Dave  and  an 
expression  of  wondering  admiration  on  the  face  of  Henri 
that  was  odd  to  behold.  But  the  Doctor  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  ladder  alone,  for  he  set  at  once  to  work  sawing 
off  some  of  the  top  limbs  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  interfere 
with  the  growth  of  the  flower-covered  vines  that  were  so 


1 88  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

attractive  to  the  butterflies.  Across  the  top  of  these  limbs 
he  firmly  tied  stout  bamboo  cross-pieces  that  he  had  had 
Dave  cut,  and  over  these  he  tied  others  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  a  firm  platform  about  twelve  feet  square,  on 
which  three  persons  could  stand  at  one  time,  very  securely, 
although  there  was,  of  course,  a  certain  amount  of  vibra- 
tion from  the  tree  itself.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  the  last 
floor  bamboo  was  in  place,  and  as  the  Doctor  and  the  boys 
came  down  the  ladder,  Ned  said, 

"  This  is  the  biggest  thing  that  has  happened  to  us  yet. 
I  can  hardly  wait  for  to-morrow  morning  to  come  ;  I  want 
to  get  up  there  and  catch  those  glorious  Papilios  so  much." 

"You  will  not  have  to  wait  until  to-morrow  morning," 
the  Doctor  replied.  "I  propose  that  we  make  a  moth 
beacon  on  that  platform  to-night;  we  have  spent  too  much 
time  on  the  job  not  to  utilize  it  now  in  every  possible 
way." 

After  supper,  while  the  boys  were  getting  together  nets, 
bottles,  boxes,  and  jars  for  a  raid  on  the  moths,  the  Doctor 
took  from  their  belongings  a  white  sheet,  brought  for  collect- 
ing purposes  and  not  for  bedding,  as  they  always  slept 
rolled  up  in  blankets,  and  prepared  a  bundle  of  shaved 
sticks  that  Dave  had  brought  in  at  the  Doctor's  request. 
When  all  was  ready  they  proceeded  to  the  tree,  where  the 
Doctor  made  them  remove  their  shoes  and  stockings,  as  a 
bamboo  floor  so  far  above  the  ground  was  far  too  slippery 
and  treacherous  to  wear  shoes  on. 

When  they  were  all  three  on  top  he  began  by  putting 
each  of  the  boys  in  a  harness  of  vegetable  rope,  passed 
around  the  body  over  the  hips  and  under  the  arms,  and 


Camp  Contentment  189 

this  he  fastened  firmly  by  another  rope,  about  six  feet 
long,  to  the  middle  of  the  platform.  The  excitement 
of  moth-catching  was  much  too  great  to  run  any  risk 
of  their  chasing  a  coveted  prize  over  the  edge  of  a  plat- 
form 140  feet  from  the  ground.  Then  he  spread  the 
sheet  over  one  corner  of  the  platform  so  as  to  cover  about 
one  quarter  of  it ;  next  he  tied  the  bundle  of  shaved  sticks 
or  fagots  to  a  bamboo  pole  about  six  feet  long,  and  this  he 
secured  in  a  nearly  upright  position  at  the  edge  of  the 
platform  near  the  sheet,  leaning  it  somewhat  forward  so 
that  anything  burning  that  dropped  from  it  would  fall 
into  the  tree  and  not  on  the  platform.  Finally,  when 
everything  else  was  ready,  he  set  fire  to  the  bundle  of 
fagots,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  tree-tops  for  a  hundred 
yards  around  were  brightly  lit  up.  The  sight  was  a 
strange  and  weird  one  and,  as  Harry  said,  if  there  were 
any  natives  living  within  a  half-dozen  miles  they  would 
think  the  last  day  had  come,  if  they  saw  that  bright  light 
so  high  in  the  trees  and  the  three  shadowy  forms  dancing 
around  under  it. 

There  was  not  much  time  for  comment  on  the  general 
effect  of  the  experiment,  however,  for  the  particular  effect 
for  which  it  had  been  arranged  soon  became  manifest,  as 
beetle  after  beetle  and  moth  after  moth  began  hovering 
around  the  light  and,  growing  tired,  lit  on  the  brilliant 
white  surface  of  the  sheet.  Of  course,  some  of  the  things 
that  they  captured  as  they  slowly  circled  around  or  after 
they  lit  on  the  sheet  were  ruined  by  having  flown  into  the 
flame,  but  most  of  them  were  not,  and  the  count  they 
made   that  night  of  moths  and  the  estimate  of  beetles 


190  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

showed  that  they  had  added  over  600  specimens  to  their 
treasures,  among  which  were  many  very  rare  and  some 
entirely  new  species.  But  they  were  not  the  only  col- 
lectors of  these  trophies,  as  they  soon  found ;  for  around 
and  over  them  and  often  perilously  near  the  light,  there 
circled  several  bats  of  two  or  three  kinds,  one  of  them  of 
a  species  quite  fifteen  inches  across  the  wings.  This  big 
fellow  must  have  been  closely  chasing  a  moth  that  Ned 
made  a  stroke  at,  for  both  went  into  the  net  at  once  and 
it  was  only  by  hitting  the  bat  a  death-blow  on  the  head 
that  it  was  prevented  from  tearing  its  way  out.  When 
it  was  spread  on  the  platform,  with  its  wide-open  mouth, 
filled  with  savage-looking  little  teeth,  lending  it  an  appear- 
ance of  danger,  Ned  said, 

"That's  enough  to  give  one  the  shivers.  Why,  I  should 
think  a  thing  like  that  could  fly  at  a  man  and  tear  his 
face  open,  if  it  wanted  to.    Couldn't  it,  Doctor  ? " 

"  No  doubt  such  a  creature  could  do  much  harm,  if  it 
were  forced  to  by  being  brought  into  close  quarters  with 
a  man  ;  but  as  it  is  a  cowardly  animal,  subsisting  entirely 
on  insects,  it  is  not  likely  to  attempt  such  a  thing.  This 
particular  bat,  however,  is  a  species  to  which  is  ascribed 
terrible  power,  for  it  is  one  of  the  kind  known  hereabouts 
as  Loupgaroos  or  Vampire-bats.  Originally,  and  even  yet 
among  some  of  these  blacks,  the  vampire  was  believed  to  be 
a  dead  man  who  had  returned  in  the  bodily  shape,  and  who 
wandered  around  doing  all  the  mischief  he  could,  includ- 
ing the  sucking  of  the  blood  from  persons  asleep. 
Usually,  however,  they  believe  that  the  vampires  are  the 
spirits  of  the  evilly-disposed  dead,  returned  to  earth  in  the 


Camp  Contentment  191 

form  of  these  monster  bats  and  capable  of  sucking  the  blood 
from  a  person  until  death  results ;  and  wonderful  are  the 
tales  they  have  to  tell  of  their  fearful  powers.  It  is  not 
fair  to  consider  these  ignorant  blacks  as  the  only  people 
who  are  the  victims  of  such  superstition,  for  in  many  parts 
of  our  own  country  and  especially  in  Eastern  Europe  this 
belief  is  still  quite  prevalent.  In  Greece  and  Turkey 
popular  faith  in  vampires  remains  unshaken  to  this  day. 
Byron  availed  himself  of  this  when  he  wrote  the  blood- 
curdling curse  in  his  'Giaour,'  in  which  the  following 
lines  occur :  — 

"  *  But  first  on  earth  as  vampire  sent, 
Thy  corse  shall  from  its  tomb  be  rent, 
Then  ghastly  haunt  thy  native  place, 
And  suck  the  blood  of  all  thy  race.1 " 

"I  have  found,"  continued  the  Doctor,  "very  well  edu- 
cated blacks  in  these  islands,  who  could  not  be  brought 
to  doubt  the  existence  of  these  mythical  creatures.  The 
most  ignorant  all  believe  in  them,  thinking  that  every 
night  at  the  first  cock-crow,  about  nine  or  ten  o'clock, 
the  loupgaroos  leave  their  graves,  hasten  to  a  near-by  silk- 
cotton  tree  and  by  some  mysterious  process  divest  them- 
selves of  their  skins,  which  they  fold  up  and  carefully 
hide  away.  It  is  largely  on  this  account  that  it  is  so  per- 
fectly safe  to  leave  any  thing,  or  to  camp,  under  a  tree  of 
this  kind,  because  no  black  man  will  venture  under  it  at 
night.  When  they  are  rid  of  their  skin,  they  can  either 
retain  their  living  forms,  assume  that  of  a  great  bat,  or 
become  a  ball  of  fire,  or  in  other  words,  they  take  the 
often-seen  will-o'-the-wisp  to  be  a  vampire  in  magic  form. 


192  The  Butterfly  Htmters 

Of  course,  all  these  firmly  held  superstitions  are  made  the 
means  of  fooling  and  deframding  the  poor  blacks  by  the 
Vaudoux  priests,  who  let  no  chance  escape  whereby  they 
may  exact  a  penny  from  their  dupes  for  removing  such 
evil  spirits  as  these." 

"Then  don't  the  big  bats  ever  do  any  harm?"  asked 
Harry. 

"Yes,  sometimes  they  develop  a  fondness  for  blood 
and  become  very  annoying,  even  dangerous,  to  horses  and 
cattle.  In  a  few  cases  they  have  been  known  to  suck 
blood  from  man,  but  such  are  rather  rare.  I  was  once 
assured  by  a  friend  who  was  with  me  spending  some  time 
at  a  deserted  house  in  a  tropical  wilderness,  that  he  had 
suddenly  waked  up  during  the  night  before,  feeling  sure 
that  a  bat  had  been  preparing  to  suck  his  blood,  as  he  felt 
something  tugging  at  one  of  his  feet,  and  there  was  a  drop 
of  blood  on  one  of  his  toes  and  some  blood  on  the  foot 
of  the  bed  when  he  struck  a  match.  As  I  was  inclined  to 
laugh  at  him,  he  asked  me  to  exchange  beds  with  him  on 
the  following  night,  which  I  did.  After  trying  to  keep 
awake,  yet  perfectly  motionless  for  a  long  time,  I  finally 
dropped  asleep  only  to  wake  with  a  start  and  a  feeling 
that  something  had  been  at  my  foot.  I  prepared  myself 
with  a  cigar-lighting  box  and  propping  myself  partially  up 
in  bed,  so  that  I  could  see  all  that  happened,  and  holding 
the  box  ready  to  make  a  light  instantly,  I  remained  quiet 
for  a  long  and  tedious  time.  Suddenly,  again  came  the 
tugging  at  my  toe,  and  when  the  flash  of  the  cigar-lighter 
followed  instantly,  I  clearly  saw  a  big  hungry-looking  rat 
attempting  to  gnaw  at  my  foot.    So  much  for  one  vampire." 


Camp  Contentment  193 


The  next  morning,  after  the  usual  hour  or  two  needed 
to  prepare  and  pack  the  captures  of  their  previous  night, 
the  party  repaired  to  the  tree-platform  and  for  three  hours, 
with  varying  success,  laid  siege  to  the  beautiful  butterflies 
for  whose  especial  capture  the  ladder  had  been  erected. 
These  they  could  not  take  in  the  easy   fashion    possible 
with  the   moths,  as   the   day-flies   were   wary   and   easily 
scared   away   to   the  clumps  of  their   favorite  flowers  in 
adjoining  tree-tops,  of  which  there  were  several  near  by. 
Consequently  they  had  to  retire  part  way  down  the  ladder 
out  of  sight  in  the  tree-top,  every  few  moments,  and  there 
wait   until   the   forgetful    creatures    came   back   to   their 
chosen  haunts.     This    strategy,    however,    repeated   each 
morning  that  they  remained  at  this  camp,  resulted  in  the 
capture  of  over  a  dozen  perfect  examples  of  this  superb 
species  and  more  than  as  many  more  of  those  less  perfect, 
but  still  salable,  together  with  a  considerable  number  of 
other  species  of  rarity  only  second  to   the  Papilios.     So 
successful  were  they,  that  the  Doctor  said  that  if,  when 
they    reached    Jamaica,    they    could    find    another    such 
locality  they  would  be  able  to  pay  the  entire  cost  of  their 
trip   from  the   proceeds  of  the    sale  of  butterflies  alone, 
leaving  the  profits  of  the  other  collections  as  a  clean  gain. 

The  butterflies  were  not  all  that  were  valuable  to  them  in 
this  tree-top  collecting,  however.  Humming-birds,  of  several 
kinds,  were  attracted  to  these  heavily-scented  flowers,  and 
on  their  second  ascent  to  the  platform  the  Doctor  had 
them  prepared  with  cartridges  for  their  guns,  loaded  with 
"  dust-shot,"  the  finest  shot  made  and  intended  especially 
for  such  tiny  game.     Taking  care  to  shoot  these  beautiful 


194  ^*  Butterfly  Hunters 

creatures  only  when  they  were  where  they  could  easily  be 
picked  out  of  the  tangled  vines  with  a  long  bamboo  pole 
with  a  three-pronged  wire  hook  on  it,  they  managed  to 
add  a  number  of  specimens,  both  charming  and  rare,  to 
their  fast-swelling  collections.  One  beauty,  larger  than 
the  others,  had  a  glistening,  emerald-green  back  and  white 
throat,  and  the  Doctor  called  it  Lampomus  Dominions, 
which  Harry  said  was  quite  enough  of  itself  to  kill  it 
without  having  to  shoot  at  it. 

Another  species,  much  smaller  and  less  brilliantly  col- 
ored, was  so  tiny  and  so  graceful  that  the  boys  were  glad 
when  the  Doctor  told  them  that  it  was  too  common  a 
species  to  make  it  worth  while  to  shoot  any  more  of  them 
than  they  needed  for  their  own  private  collection.  They 
were  doubly  glad  of  this  when  one  of  the  tiny  little  fairies, 
seeming  hardly  bigger  than  a  big  bumblebee,  perched 
carelessly  on  a  near-by  twig,  and,  cocking  its  head  on  one 
side,  uttered  a  succession  of  tiny  "  tweep  tweeps "  that 
were  evidently  intended  for  a  song,  though  it  amounted 
to  nothing  more  than  "tweep-tweep-tweep-tweep-toodle- 
loodle-loodle-tweep  "  repeated  over  and  over  in  only  two 
tones  for  nearly  a  minute.  But  it  was  such  a  surprising 
thing  from  such  a  tiny  songster,  and  Mellisuga  minima, 
as  the  Doctor  called  it,  seemed  to  enjoy  the  performance 
so  much  that  Ned  exclaimed,  — 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  we  don't  need  to  shoot  those  little  dar- 
lings, but  I  wish  we  could  take  three  or  four  home  alive. 
Would  that  be  possible?" 

"  No.  Humming-birds  are  of  the  very  essence  of  free- 
dom and  unrestrained  airiness,  and  it  has  thus  far  been 


Camp  Con  ten trnen t  195 

impossible  to  keep  them  in  confinement.  In  a  few  days, 
in  spite  of  the  best  of  care,  they  pine  away  and  die." 

"  How  is  it,  Doctor,  "  asked  Harry,  "  that  the  smaller 
the  creature  the  bigger  the  name  the  naturalists  have  given 
it?  The  great  lion  is  only  Felis  leo,  four  syllables,  while 
one  of  the  smallest  butterflies  we  have  in  the  North  is 
Polyommatus pscudargiolus,  ten  syllables." 

"  You  boys  surely  understand  that  the  Latin  or  scientific 
names  given  to  the  animal  and  plant  world  are  merely 
given  to  distinguish  the  varieties  from  each  other,  and  the 
Latin  language  is  chosen  because  it  is  more  universally 
understood  among  well-educated  people  than  any  other. 
Naturally,  when  the  founder  of  what  is  known  as  the 
modern  classification,  the  naturalist  Linne,  or  Linneus,  to 
Latinize  his  name,  came  to  give  names,  he  chose,  as  far  as 
possible,  names  already  in  common  use  in  Latin.  Thus,  as 
the  lion  belonged  to  the  cat  tribe,  he  called  its  genus  Felis, 
and  gave  the  name  for  lion,  leo,  as  the  specific  one.  When 
he  came  to  the  principal  butterflies,  he  gave  them  the  Latin 
name  for  butterfly,  Papilio,  but  when  it  became  necessary 
to  divide  the  hundreds  of  species  found  all  over  the  world 
into  different  genera,  names  were  usually  devised  that 
indicated  some  peculiarity  common  to  all  the  species  in  a 
genus.  Thus  the  butterflies  having  silver  spots  beneath 
were  arranged  in  the  genus  Argynnis,  which  signifies  that, 
and  those  that  are  like  wood  brownies  or  little  satyrs, 
under  the  genus  Satyrus,  while  those  tiny  ones  that  have  a 
profuse  sprinkling  of  small  round  spots  beneath  are  placed 
in  the  genus  you  have  just  inquired  about,  under  the 
appropriate  name  of  Polyommatus.     The  specific  or  species 


196  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

name  is  less  reasonably  applied,  as  it  is  sometimes  given  in 
honor  of  its  discoverer,  or  on  account  of  the  locality  where 
found.  But  in  the  species  you  mentioned,  it  was  for  a 
long  time  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  a  common  European 
species,  called  argiolns,  and  when  found  to  be  distinct 
was  naturally  called  psendargiolus,  or  'supposed  argiolns? 
So  you  see  these  names  have  their  meaning,  and  often  the 
name  alone  will  help  the  student  to  identify  a  species.  As 
you  both  become  more  familiar  with  Latin,  these  long  for- 
midable-sounding names  will  lose  their  terrors  for  you,  and 
in  very  many  cases,  on  hearing  a  new  name,  you  will 
detect  something  in  it  to  give  you  a  clue  to  its  owner's 
characteristics." 

"  I  am  glad  you  made  this  so  plain,"  said  Ned,  "for  now 
I'll  take  more  interest  in  Latin ;  and  I'll  no  longer  think 
there  is  no  excuse  for  such  terrible  names  as  some  of  our 
captures  have  to  bear." 


CHAPTER    XIII 

ABOVE   THE    CLOUDS 

Anticipations —  Mountain  Heights  —  An  Unattempted  Feat  —  Difficult  Moun- 
taineering—  An  Ideal  Camp  —  Harry's  Description  of  a  Mountain  View  — 
Planting  the  Flag  —  Frost  in  the  Tropics  —  A  Mountain  Sunrise  —  The 
Inscription  above  the  Clouds  —  Attacked  by  a  Wild  Boar  —  Excellent 
Marksmen  —  A  Still  More  Luxuriant  Wilderness  —  Cannibalism  —  Ameri- 
can versus  French  Republicanism  —  Haitian  Dignitaries 

THE  camp  by  Laguna  Enriquillo  proved  to  be  so 
pleasant  and  so  profitable  that  the  boys'  stay  was 
delayed  for  three  days  beyond  their  schedule.  This 
suited  the  lads  very  well,  and  they  would  have  will- 
ingly prolonged  the  free  and  easy  life  for  any  indefinite 
period,  had  not  the  Doctor  reminded  them  that  already 
about  six  weeks  of  their  allotted  vacation  were  gone  and 
they  would  have  to  take  a  very  hurried  view  of  Jamaica 
as  it  was,  and  none  at  all  if  they  did  not  hurry  along  on 
their  mapped-out  route. 

"  Is  Jamaica  any  more  interesting  or  a  better  collecting- 
field  than  this  ?  "  asked  Harry. 

"  It  is  not  nearly  so  interesting  in  the  matter  of  collect- 
ing such  material  as  can  be  pinned  in  boxes,  folded  in 
papers,  or  put  into  alcohol.  But  in  the  collection  of  facts, 
especially  such  facts  as  have  to  do  with  the  study  of  man, 
it  is  a  very  different  field  and  therefore  interesting  in 
another  way.      While  the  impressions  of   black  savagery 

are  still  fresh  in  your  mind  from  life  here,  I  want  you,  and 

197 


198  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

it  was  your  father's  wish  also,  to  see  what  a  degree  of 
excellence  black  civilization  can  reach  under  favorable 
conditions  and  how  high  it  has  reached  under  English 
rule  in  Jamaica.  Neither  your  father  nor  I  had  any  idea 
that  you  were  both  going  to  make  such  famous  young 
naturalists  and  explorers,  imagining  that,  in  common  with 
most  travellers,  you  would  want  to  be  moving  on  constantly 
to  new  scenes  and  excitements.  Therefore  we  expected 
that  four  weeks  would  suffice  for  the  Bahamas  and  Haiti, 
and  that  there  would  be  three  weeks  for  Jamaica  and 
possibly  enough  time  left  for  a  glimpse  of  the  eastern 
coast  of  Central  America.  Now  we  shall  do  well  to  get 
the  three  weeks  in  Jamaica,  and  must  leave  the  main- 
land for  another  trip  some  day,  perhaps  next  summer,  if 
we  want  to  get  back  in  time  for  Christmas.  I  told  your 
father  of  our  change  of  plan  in  my  last  letter  from  Port 
au  Prince,  and  I  expect  we  shall  get  a  reply  while  we  are 
in  Kingston,  Jamaica.  Then  we  shall  know  whether  your 
school  opens  after  New  Year,  and  whether  we  must  hurry 
home." 

"  Oh,  we  wouldn't  want  to  miss  Christmas  at  home, 
anyhow;  would  we,  Ned?"  asked  Harry. 

"  No.  You  see,  Doctor,  we  always  have  a  roaring  good 
time  then,  and  we  have  never  been  away  from  home  on 
Christmas.  Even  if  we  had  more  time  here,  we  could  go 
home  in  six  days  and  come  back  after  Christmas  week, 
couldn't  we  ?  "  responded  Ned. 

"  Yes,  you  could,  of  course ;  but  that  sort  of  thing  costs 
money.  It  would  at  least  take  $300  to  take  us  all  home 
and  back  here." 


Above  the  Clouds  199 


"Father  wouldn't  mind  that  when  he  sees  how  much 
we  have  collected,"  said  Ned.  "He  said,  you  remember, 
that  what  we  collected  should  belong  to  all  three  of  us  to 
use  as  we  saw  fit." 

"I  guess  there'll  be  no  trouble  about  arrangements," 
the  Doctor  said,  with  a  smile.  "No  doubt  we  shall  see 
Christmas  and  ice  and  snow  at  home." 

"  It's  pretty  hard  to  imagine,  though ;  isn't  it  ? "  said 
Harry,  as  he  wiped  the  beads  of  perspiration  from  his 
face. 

Two  days  after  this  conversation  they  pulled  up  stakes 
at  "  Camp  Contentment,"  and  after  the  hardest  travelling 
they  had  yet  had,  they  encamped  at  the  foot  of  La  Selle, 
the  tallest  of  the  peaks  in  the  south  of  the  island,  and 
perhaps  the  highest  land  in  all  the  West  Indies. 

"  Why  don't  they  know  exactly  whether  it's  the  highest 
mountain,  or  not,  Doctor?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Because  no  one  has  ever  been  on  top  of  it  with  any 
apparatus  for  assuring  its  height,  and  that  is  true  of  two 
other  high  mountains  in  this  island.  The  Haitians  say 
that  no  one  has  ever  been  to  the  top  of  this  mountain, 
but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  Spaniards  reached 
the  summit  about  four  centuries  ago  in  their  eager  search 
for  gold.  However,  by  rough  triangulation,  —  a  species  of 
surveying  at  a  distance,  —  it  has  been  estimated  at  about 
9000  feet.  That  makes  it  higher  than  anything  else  in 
the  West  Indies,  unless  one  of  the  two  other  principal 
mountains  in  this  island  is  higher." 

"  Can't  we  climb  it,  Doctor,  and  settle  the  matter,  and 
make  them  admit  that  American  boys    can  do  what  the 


2oo  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

men    of    other    lands    have   not    cared    to    try?"   asked 
Harry. 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,  provided  you  care  to  try  it. 
It  looks  to  me  as  though  the  approach  from  this  side 
would  not  be  very  steep ;  but,  even  if  we  get  to  the  top, 
we  cannot  settle  the  question,  as  we  shall  still  be  ignorant 
of  the  heights  of  the  other  mountains.  We  can,  however, 
boast  of  accomplishing  a  most  difficult  task,  and  with  our 
pocket  barometer  can  come  within  fifty  or  one  hundred 
feet  of  our  exact  height  above  the  sea.  And  the  experi- 
ence of  hardships  and  the  view  will  be  superior  to  any- 
thing you  have  yet  had." 

"That  settles  it!"  said  Harry,  the  enthusiast.  "We'll 
conquer  old  La  Selle,  won't  we,  Ned  ? " 

"  We'll  make  a  good  struggle  for  it,  anyway,"  was  the 
response*  of  the  other.  "  But  I  am  more  afraid  of  the 
horses  giving  out  than  anything  else." 

"We  are  now  camped  about  as  far  as  we  can  take  them," 
the  Doctor  replied.  "  We  will  leave  them  here  in  charge 
of  Dave  and  Henri,  taking  only  'Lisha  with  us  as  an  extra 
companion ;  for  we  shall  have  to  come  back  this  way  to 
avoid  getting  lost  in  these  interminable  wildernesses." 

The  next  morning,  sometime  before  sunrise,  they  were 
off  on  their  upward  journey,  telling  Dave  to  wait  for  them 
until  the  fourth  day  or  until  he  heard  a  signal  fired  above 
him,  when  he  was  to  try  to  come  after  them  with  the 
strongest  horse.  The  Doctor  carried  several  dynamite 
cartridges  to  use  as  signals,  and  he  told  Dave  that  at  least 
every  hundred  feet  they  would  cut  a  gash  or  "  blaze  "  in 
a  tree  or  hack  down  a  sapling,  so  that  their  route  would 


Above  the  Clouds  2oi 


be  plain.  But  nothing  short  of  a  serious  accident,  a 
broken  leg  or  something  of  that  sort,  would  delay 
them  beyond  the  four  days.  To  the  boys  it  seemed 
very  strange  that  a  climb  of  perhaps  a  mile  and  a 
half  above  their  present  camp  should  take  two  days 
each  way,  but  long  before  noon  had  arrived  they 
beo-an     to     wonder     whether    the    Doctor    had    allowed 

enough  time. 

Previous  to  this  they  had  had  some  experience  in  cut- 
ting their  way  through  a  jungle  at  a  snail's  gait,  and  twice 
they  had   had    to  unload  their  horses  and  help  them   up 
steep  walls,  directly  in  their  path,  with  ropes  and  a  pully 
that  Dave  had  brought  along.     But  now  they  came  to  a 
stretch    of  jungle   where   they  were   most    of  their   time 
waist-deep  in  vast  seas  of  moss,  with  a  perfect  network  of 
giant  ferns  over  them,  the  taller  trees  shutting  out  every 
ray  of  sunlight  and  giving  the  effect  of  a  perpetual  twilight, 
while  thousands  of  vegetable  ropes  and  unexpected  roots 
impeded    every   step.     Each    of  them  was  armed  with  a 
machete,  or  cutlass,  and  took  turns  in  leading  and  cutting 
the  way,   the  one   next  following   acting  as   collector  for 
such  things  as  they  could  take  along  under  light  marching- 
order,  and  the  rear  guard  watching  to  see  that  plenty  of 
signs  were  left  so  that    they  could  easily  find  their  way 
back   or   Dave    could  follow  them.     Each  hour  was  thus 
divided  :  for  twenty  minutes  the  Doctor  led,  for  the  next 
ten  it  was  Ned's  turn,  with  the  Doctor  in  the  rear,  for  ten 
more  Harry  was  the  guide,  and  for  the  remaining  twenty 
they   took   the   best  rest  they   could    get  in  such  a  hot, 
steaming,  unventilated  jungle,  where  not  a  breath  of  air 


202  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


moved  and  an  overpowering  odor  of  decaying  vegetation 
was  most  depressing. 

After  seven  hours  of  this  sort  of  thing,  and  when  the 
boys  were  about  ready  to  hint  that  it  was  a  bigger  con- 
tract than  they  had  supposed,  the  jungle  suddenly  began 
to  thin  out ;  here  and  there  was  to  be  seen  a  patch  of 
sunlight  overhead,  and  the  air  was  perceptibly  cooler  and 
occasionally  a  slight  puff  of  quite  cold  air,  it  seemed  in 
contrast,  blew  over  them.  They  were  on  a  narrow  ridge, 
the  back  of  which  was  not  more  than  thirty  feet  wide,  the 
sides  sloping  away  precipitously  and  giving  views  of  enor- 
mously deep  valleys  on  both  sides,  with  an  open  view  to 
the  south,  over  some  miles  of  hills  and  valleys  and  the 
ocean  beyond.  Here,  the  Doctor's  barometer  told  them, 
they  were  about  6000  feet  above  the  sea,  and  he  thought 
that  the  next  1000  feet  ought  to  bring  them  to  a  good 
camp  for  the  night,  as  it  was  hardly  prudent  to  spend  the 
first  night  on  top,  on  account  of  the  sudden  change  from 
the  hot-house  temperature  of  the  jungle  to  the  frost-line 
atmosphere  of  the  summit.  Before  they  had  gone  500 
feet  further  in  elevation  they  were  brought  face  to  face 
with  a  deep  chasm,  to  bridge  which  was  impossible  and  in 
which  they  decided  to  camp.  For  at  the  bottom  there 
was  pure  drinking-water  from  a  mountain  rivulet,  and  the 
sides  of  the  ravine  acted  as  barriers  for  much  of  the  cold 
wind  that  sprang  up  after  midnight. 

The  next  morning  an  early  start  and  some  very  hard 
climbing  over  rocky  ways  —  for  towards  the  top  the  vegeta- 
tion grew  sparser  and  no  longer  carpeted  all  the  rocks 
with  two  to  three  feet  of  moss  —  brought  them  at  about  11 


Above  the  Clouds  203 

o'clock  to  the  summit.  The  impression  made  on  the  boys, 
when  they  finally  conquered  the  very  crown  of  the  mighty 
peak  and  reached  a  point  where  the  view  burst  upon  them 
from  every  direction,  was  far  beyond  their  powers  of  ex- 
pression. Harry's  words,  used  in  a  letter  written  that 
night,  while  all  was  fresh  in  his  memory,  made  their  feel- 
ings about  as  plain  as  language  can.     He  wrote  :  — 

"  Hurrah  and  hurrah !  Here  we  are  on  top  of  the 
earth,  with  everything  down  in  the  hollow  below  us !  I 
write  this  on  top  of  La  Selle,  perhaps  the  highest  moun- 
tain in  the  West  Indies  or  in  North  America  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  We  are  8923  feet  above  the  Caribbean 
Sea,  which  is  around  us  on  three  sides  and  looks  like  a 
saucer  of  blue  china,  while  we  sit  on  a  lump  of  earth  in 
the  middle,  with  grass  all  around  us.  The  enormous 
jungles  that  we  have  been  slowly  cutting  our  way  through 
for  nearly  fourteen  hours  of  the  hardest  work  we  boys 
ever  tried,  look  now  like  fine  moss,  so  far  are  we  above 
their  mighty  tree-tops. 

"  Hip,  hip,  hurrah,  again !  We  are  the  first  boys  who 
have  ever  reached  so  high  a  point  in  the  whole  Caribbean 
group,  and  probably  the  first  of  any  age  who  have  climbed 
up  here  since  old  Columbus's  time.  We  have  set  a  flag 
flying  from  a  pole  tied  in  a  tree-top,  and  to-night  we  shall 
have  a  monster  bonfire  going  that  will  be  the  talk  of  the 
whole  island  for  many  days  to  come.  No  one  has  any  idea 
that  we  are  in  this  part  of  the  interior,  and  the  poor, 
ignorant  darkies  will  think  it  is  either  a  volcano  starting  or 
some  sort  of  work  of  their  Vaudoux  gods.  Ned  and  I 
would  rather  have  had  an  American  flag  floating  from  this 


504  The  Btitterfly  Hunters 

point,  but  we  had  to  rest  content  with  a  small  Haitian  one 
the  Doctor  bought  in  Port  au  Prince  for  the  purpose. 
He  says  we  wouldn't  like  to  have  a  Haitian  plant  his  flag 
on  our  Pike's  Peak,  and  of  course  he  is  right. 

"  I  wish  you  at  home  could  see  this  wonderful  view. 
With  the  Doctor's  telescope  we  can  see  mountains  over 
125  miles  away,  and  the  variety  of  the  views  on  every  hand 
is  wonderful.  South  of  us  the  mountains  slope  rapidly 
away  to  the  coast,  and  we  can  see  the  harbor  of  Jacmel 
very  plainly ;  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  to  the  east  is 
ridge  after  ridge  and  valley  after  valley  of  the  wildest  land 
in  Santo  Domingo,  with  the  blue  waters  of  the  large  lake 
where  we  have  been  camping  in  plain  sight.  To  the  north 
are  other  mountain  chains  and  the  great  valley  in  which 
lies  Port  au  Prince  at  the  water's  edge.  And  to  the  west 
stretches  the  long  arm  of  Southern  Haiti,  with  many  high 
mountains  along  its  centre.  We  are  above  the  most  of  the 
clouds,  and,  although  at  our  very  feet,  as  it  seems,  there 
are  bananas,  cocoanut-palms,  mangoes,  and  no  end  of 
tropical  things,  we  are  quite  likely  to  have  frost  up  here 
to-night,  the  Doctor  says." 

And  so  it  proved  to  be ;  for  in  spite  of  a  thick  blanket 
that  each  had  brought  up,  strapped  to  his  back,  and  a 
rousing  fire,  of  the  biggest  dried  sticks  they  could  carry  to 
it,  they  spent  a  rather  cold  and  cheerless  night,  and  it  was 
a  welcome  sight  to  them  all  when  there  began  to  come  a 
grayish  tinge  on  the  eastern  horizon.  The  Doctor  was 
the  first  one  stirring,  and  he  soon  had  a  roaring  fire  and  a 
steaming  pot  of  coffee  ready  to  overcome  the  stiffened 
limbs  and  shivering  muscles.     Before  the  coffee  had  dis- 


Above  the  Clouds  205 

appeared,  it  began  to  dawn  on  the  boys  that  their  com- 
panion had  spoken  truly  when  he  said  that  the  first  hour 
or  so  of  the  new  day  would  repay  them  a  hundredfold  for 
the  toil  of  their  climb  and  the  discomforts  of  the  night. 
At  first  it  seemed  to  them  that  they  were  on  a  tiny  island 
in  an  endless  sea  of  foamy  billows  ;  for  on  every  hand  and 
almost  up  to  their  feet  were  fleecy  clouds,  with  nothing 
else  whatever  to  be  seen.  Then  slowly,  as  the  light  began 
to  redden  in  the  east,  these  billows  of  the  upper  air 
receded  and  here  and  there  the  top  of  some  near-by  peak 
appeared  above  them  like  an  island  suddenly  heaved  up  by 
the  sea. 

By  rare  good  fortune  it  proved  to  be  a  clear  day  that  was 
dawning,  and  when  at  last  the  sun  rose  out  of  the  eastern 
billows  of  cloud,  looking  like  an  enormous  disk  of  bur- 
nished copper,  it  gilded  the  top  and  edges  of  every  cloud 
and  tinged  with  red  every  mountain  top,  until  they  seemed 
to  be  on  one  of  a  score  or  more  of  ruby-colored  islands  in 
a  sea  of  gold  and  gray.  Then,  little  by  little,  the  sun's 
heat  melted  the  clouds  away,  and  valley  after  valley 
changed,  under  their  very  eyes,  from  the  dark  of  night  to 
the  gray  of  dawn  and  the  bright  glare  of  day,  a  transfor- 
mation scene  that  so  entranced  the  boys  that  they  lost  all 
sight  of  the  time.  While  they  were  enjoying  it  to  the 
fullest  extent  the  Doctor,  to  whom  such  views  were  an  old 
story,  although  always  enjoyable,  was  busy  pounding  away 
at  the  face  of  a  rock  that  projected  from  the  surface  and 
was  the  highest  point  of  the  mountain.  When  they  joined 
him,  the  boys  found  that  with  a  big  stone  as  a  mallet  and 
a  small   stone-chisel   which   he  had  thoughtfully  brought 


2o6  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

along,  he  was   just    putting   the  finishing  touches  on  an 
inscription  which  read  :  — 

THE    DAWSON    BOYS 

Nov.  25,   1892 

After  a  consultation,  while  they  were  eating  a  hearty 
breakfast,  it  was  decided  that  as  the  path  was  cleared  all 
the  way  and  as  they  could  easily  make  the  downward 
trip  before  dark  that  night,  it  would  be  just  as  well  to  take 
it  easily  and  do  a  little  collecting  along  the  route  and  spend 
another  night  at  their  former  camp  in  the  gorge  below. 
They  bade  good-bye  to  the  splendor  of  the  mountain  reluc- 
tantly, but  a  chance  kick  against  a  rotting  tree  trunk  that 
disclosed  a  horde  of  beetles  of  a  half  dozen  sorts  caused 
them  to  think  of  other  things  before  they  had  got  two  hun- 
dred yards  downward  on  their  route. 

They  reached  their  intended  camp  in  time  for  dinner, 
and  while  the  Doctor  and  Harry  were  preparing  that  meal, 
Ned  walked  a  short  distance  down  the  ravine  in  search  of 
beetles  and  such  other  trophies  as  could  easily  be  put  in 
their  alcohol  bottles.  Suddenly  he  came  back  on  a  run  and 
out  of  breath,  his  eyes  wide  open  with  fright,  exclaiming, 
as  he  picked  up  his  gun  :  — 

"Doctor,  quick !  a  monster  pig  is  trying  to  kill  'Lisha." 

"  Hold  on  there,  Ned ! "  was  the  Doctor's  caution.  "  You 
have  too  light  shot  in  that  gun  for  a  wild  hog.  They  are 
very  dangerous  animals,  and  we  must  each  go  armed  and 
with  cartridges  that  are  loaded  with  buckshot."  So  saying, 
he  unpacked  his  knapsack  and  took  from  it  a  double  hand- 
ful of  cartridges.     Handing  a  dozen  to  each  of  the  boys, 


Above  the  Clouds  207 

they  all  quickly  loaded  their  guns  and  hurried  to  the  point 
from  which  came  'Lisha's  hoarse  barking  and  the  gruff 
grunts  of  the  hog.  At  the  base  of  a  tree  stood  a  large, 
gaunt  wild  boar,  with  the  bristles  on  his  neck  and  along 
his  spine  standing  erect  with  anger,  keeping  his  hindquar- 
ters against  the  tree  and  between  two  buttressed  roots  and 
his  head  always  towards  'Lisha,  who  was  thus  prevented 
from  gaining  a  deadly  grip  on  his  antagonist  by  fear  of 
the  savage-looking  tusks  that  protruded  from  the  half-open 
mouth. 

The  Doctor  whispered  to  the  boys  to  separate  a  few 
yards  on  each  side  of  him  and  follow  his  example  of  slowly 
closing  in  on  the  brute.  When  they  reached  a  suitable 
distance  he  would  attract  the  boar's  attention,  when,  if  it  was 
a  coward,  it  would  turn  to  escape,  in  which  case  they  must 
not  fire  at  it,  as  they  would  be  far  more  apt  to  hit  'Lisha, 
who  would  harass  it  by  biting  at  its  flanks  and  who  would 
soon  bring  it  to  a  stand  again  for  another  chance  for  a  shot. 
The  chances  were  even,  however,  he  explained  to  them, 
that  the  brute  would  rush  at  one  of  them  in  his  fury,  the 
moment  his  attention  was  attracted.  In  that  case,  no  mat- 
ter whom  he  came  towards,  all  three  were  to  fire  at  him,  and 
one  would  be  pretty  sure  to  aim  a  deadly  shot.  Care  must 
be  taken,  however,  to  aim  at  the  forequarters  or  head,  so 
as  not  to  run  any  risk  of  hitting  'Lisha. 

The  party  started  cautiously  down  the  gorge  towards  the 
hog,  which  .by  this  time  was  frantic  in  its  futile  efforts  to 
deal  'Lisha  a  deadly  blow,  the  Doctor  in  the  middle  and 
each  boy  about  twenty-five  feet  from  him  on  one  or  the  other 
hand.     When  they  had  reached  a  spot  about  fifty  yards 


2o8  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

from  the  brute,  the  Doctor  suddenly  shouted  to  the  dog  : 
"Sick  him,  'Lisha!  sick  him!"  Without  one  moment's 
hesitation,  but  with  the  merest  glance  towards  the  source 
of  the  words,  the  brute  lowered  its  head,  and  dashing  past 
'Lisha,  who  was  now  an  unimportant  consideration,  rushed 
headlong  towards  the  Doctor.  For  barely  a  second  the 
boys  were  dazed  by  the  suddenness  of  the  onslaught,  but 
the  sight  of  the  Doctor  coolly  raising  his  gun  to  his  shoul- 
der recalled  them  to  their  senses,  and  instantly  their  guns 
rang  out  sharp  and  in  unison.  With  a  bound  quite  three 
feet  in  the  air  the  hog  sprang  forward,  and,  just  as  both 
boys  started  to  run  for  trees  to  climb,  fell  in  a  quivering 
heap  and  died  almost  instantly.  It  was  hard  to  tell  which 
showed  the  greatest  joy,  the  boys  or  'Lisha,  but  the  latter 
certainly  manifested  the  more  hatred  as  he  gnawed  and  bit 
his  dead  foe  and  barked  his  deep  defiance  close  to  the  very 
teeth  he  was  so  apprehensive  of  but  a  moment  before. 

Then  came  a  search  for  wounds,  which  were  soon  found, 
and  much  to  the  delight  of  the  boys  the  Doctor  cried, 

"  Well  done,  brave  hunters  of  the  fearless  wild  boar ! 
Evidently  neither  of  you  was  badly  rattled,  for  here  on 
the  left  side,  at  a  spot  that  could  only  have  been  reached 
by  Ned's  aim,  is  a  wound  that  breaks  the  foreshoulder  and 
another  that  must  have  gone  into  the  heart.  That  of 
course  accounts  for  the  instant  death.  But  it  was  not 
needed  ;  for  here  on  the  other  side  are  two  wounds,  one  of 
which  has  severed  the  jugular  vein  and  the  other  of  which 
has  pierced  the  cheek  bone  and  entered  the  brain.  Besides 
these,  I  find  seven  more  shot  wounds,  four  of  which  would 
have  brought  your  game  to  earth,  even  if  the  others  had  not 


Above  the  Clouds  ■  209 

proved  fatal.  So  I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  either  of 
you  can  pass  muster  as  an  accomplished  boar  hunter, 
which  is  much  more  than  can  be  said  of  most  boys,  or  men 
either,  for  that  matter,  as  boar  hunting  is  a  most  hazardous 
and  nerve-trying  sport." 

"But  where  do  you  come  in,  Doctor  ?  You  haven't  told 
us  where  your  shots  landed,"  said  Ned. 

"  Oh,  as  I  thought  you  two  would  like  to  take  that  boar's 
head  home,  to  be  mounted  as  a  trophy  of  your  bravery,  I 
refrained  from  firing,  so  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to 
it  being  the  product  of  your  combined  marksmanship.  I 
congratulate  each  of  you  on  being  able  to  claim  to  have 
dealt  the  brute  a  deadly  wound." 

The  removal  of  the  skin  from  the  head,  cleaning  the 
skull,  and  cutting  up  some  steaks  for  the  next  few  meals, 
occupied  the  rest  of  an  exhausting  day;  and,  although  the 
young  hunters  retired  quite  early,  it  was  unusually  late 
when  they  arose  the  next  morning,  and  very  nearly  dark 
when  they  rejoined  Dave  and  Henri,  much  to  the  surprise 
of  the  latter,  a  day  before  they  were  expected. 

The  following  three  days  were  given  up  to  almost  con- 
stant travelling  down  the  southern  slopes  of  the  La  Selle 
Range  on  the  way  to  Jacmel,  and  it  was  quite  late  on  the 
night  of  the  third  day  that  they  reached  that  dilapidated 
town.  On  this  part  of  their  trip  they  encountered  nothing 
of  an  unusual  nature,  save  that  the  sunny  exposure  seemed 
to  make  this  side  of  the  range  appear  more  tropical,  and 
there  was  some  change  in  the  kinds  of  animal  life  they 
encountered.     Some  of  the  birds  especially  attracted  their 

attention    and  their  shots  as  well.      Flocks  of  gorgeous 
p 


210  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

trogons,  with  an  iridescent  green  head  and  back,  dull  lilac 
throat,    royal    scarlet   breast,    and   deep   green   tail,   with 
black   and    white   mottlings   on   it   and   the  wings,  occa- 
sionally made  some  clump  of  woodland  glisten  with  their 
wondrous    combination    of  colors,  and  vibrate  with  their 
harsh,  inharmonious  notes.     Not  only  as  a  species  of  value 
to  their  collections,  but  as  an  excellent  source  of  food,  they 
found  the  abundance  of  a  robin-like  bird,  which  the  Doctor 
called  Mimocichla  ardesiaca,  very  fortunate.     In  the  early 
mornings  their  sleep  was  disturbed  by  flocks  of  a  medium- 
sized  green  parrot,  the  same  kind  that  is  commonest  in 
Northern  cages  ;  and  immense  flocks  of  a  beautiful  white- 
crowned  pigeon  afforded  them  another  supply  of  delicious 
food.     Here,  too,  there  was  a  greater  abundance  of  snakes, 
though  very  few  were  poisonous,  and  the  species  of  the 
lizard  tribe  seemed  to  be  without  number.     During  one  of 
these  nights  they  were  awakened  by  the  not  distant  bark- 
ing of  dogs,  to  which  'Lisha  responded  as  lustily  as  his 
hoarse  bulldog  voice  would  permit.     These  did  not  come 
within  sight,  and  both  their  guides  as  well  as  the  Doctor 
agreed  in  thinking  them   to  be  wild  dogs.      These,  the 
latter  explained  to  them,  were,  like  the  wild  hogs,  descend- 
ants of   those   brought    here   in    the    early  days    of    the 
Spanish    occupancy,  now  running  wild  and  as  fierce  and 
dangerous  as  their  original  savage  progenitors.     In  these 
forests,  also,  the  Doctor  pointed  out  to  them,  growing  wild 
and  yet  bearing  luxuriantly,  only  to  have  their  products  rot 
on  the  ground,  cotton,  Indian  corn,  tobacco,  cacao,  ginger, 
indigo,   arrowroot,   bananas,   pineapples,    artichoke,   sweet 
potatoes,  and  mango  trees  at  almost  every  step.     Yet  with 


A  bove  the  Clouds  2 1 1 


all  this  vegetable  wealth,  unexcelled  anywhere  in  the 
world,  Haiti  is  yearly  growing  poorer  and  poorer,  more  and 
more  degraded  and  savage. 

Jacmel  the  lads  found  to  be  about  such  another  spot  as 
their  first  Haitian  harbor,  Port  a  Paix,  but  perhaps  a  little 
more  squalid  and  uncivilized.  They  learned  that  they  would 
have  at  least  two  days  to  wait  for  the  Royal  Mail  steamer 
on  its  way  from  Barbadoes  to  Jamaica,  and  the  time  was 
mainly  occupied  in  becoming  acquainted  with  some  of  the 
foremost  white  and  mulatto  residents  of  the  town  and  in 
packing  many  of  their  captures  so  as  to  ship  them  directly 
home.  Here  Dave  and  Henri  bade  them  good-bye,  taking 
an  overland  route  with  the  horses  back  to  Port  au  Prince. 
The  former  parted  with  them  very  reluctantly,  but  liberal 
presents  from  each  of  them,  with  gifts  to  be  carried  to 
Henriette,  and  the  promise  that  if  they  returned  to 
this  part  of  the  world  to  explore  parts  of  Central  or  South 
America  he  should  be  sent  for  to  join  them,  did  much  to 
reconcile  him. 

From  one  of  their  new  acquaintances,  a  well-to-do  native 
merchant,  it  was  learned  that  there  had  recently  been  much 
reason  to  think  that  the  Vaudoux  superstitions  were  on 
the  increase  in  the  interior,  and  that  there  was  much  talk, 
in  a  hushed  way,  of  the  increase  in  cannibalism  among  the 
most  degraded  of  the  peasantry.  The  practice  of  "  wanga," 
a  term  indicating  the  use  of  charms,  philters,  and  poisons, 
was  on  the  increase,  and  there  had  been  a  number  of  sud- 
den deaths  due,  without  much  doubt,  to  the  use  of  deadly 
poisons  by  the  Vaudoux  priests.  It  was  well-nigh  impossible 
to  get  the  police  authorities  to  act  in  such  cases,  as  there 


212  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

were  few  of  them,  from  officers  to  judges,  who  were  not 
more  or  less  under  the  influence  of  the  degrading  super- 
stition. That  young  children  had  recently  been  so  poi- 
soned by  their  nurses  as  to  appear  to  be  dead,  had  then 
been  buried,  only  to  be  secretly  dug  up  again  to  be  restored 
to  life  and  then  given  over  to  these  bloodthirsty  priests  to 
be  used  as  a  sacrifice  and  afterwards  eaten,  he  felt  sure. 
But  there  was  no  use  of  telling  these  things  to  the  author- 
ities, for  he  and  others  who  thought  as  he  did  of  these 
horrors  would  simply  be  spotted  by  the  snake  worshippers 
and  be  in  constant  danger  of  their  lives. 

When  the  Doctor  expressed  his  sympathy  with  him  at 
this  deplorable  condition  of  his  beautiful  land,  he  replied, 

"  Ah !  we  poor  Haitians  made  our  great  mistake  years 
ago,  long  before  my  time.  Had  we  taken  your  Washing- 
ton and  not  the  Napoleon  of  France  as  our  model,  had  we 
looked  to  the  American  institutions  of  freedom  and  justice 
instead  of  aping  French  manners  and  Parisian  bombast,  we 
might  have  long  ago  become  a  greater  people." 

"  Is  it  true,  Doctor,  that  this  terrible  cannibalism  is  in 
this  island,  now  ?  "  Ned  asked,  after  their  guest  had  left 
them. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  have  to  say  that  it  undoubtedly  is, 
Edward,"  was  his  reply.  "It  seems  that  a  century  of 
republican  freedom,  so  called,  and  the  blessings  of  religion, 
and  an  unexcelled  climate  and  soil  ought  to  have  produced 
great  improvements  in  this  people  ;  but  that  they  are  going 
backwards  towards  the  savagery  from  which  they  were 
brought  in  Africa  every  fair-minded  man  who  has  studied 
them  on  the  spot  believes.      Nowhere  in  the  world  is  the 


Above  the  Clouds  213 

poisoner's  art  better  understood  to-day  than  here.  The 
profession  that  began  centuries  ago  with  the  use  of  snake's 
poison  on  a  spear-point  or  decayed  flesh  smeared  on  an 
arrow-head,  has  improved  until,  from  strychnine,  which 
they  extract  from  the  wild  plant,  Strychnos  toxifera,  up 
through  a  long  line  of  native  and  introduced  poisons,  they 
are  able  to  produce  the  exact  effect  and  just  at  the  time 
that  is  desired  in  any  special  case." 

It  was  a  great  contrast,  after  their  weeks  of  freedom 
from  restraint,  to  be  again  on  the  deck  of  an  ocean  liner  ; 
but  the  refinements  of  their  surroundings  and  the  class  of 
passengers  and  officers  they  were  soon  acquainted  with 
on  the  Royal  Mail  Line  steamship  "  Atrata,"  reconciled 
them  to  the  change.  All  the  rest  of  the  day  they  sailed 
in  close  view  of  the  ironbound  coast  of  the  long  south- 
western arm  of  Haiti,  passing  only  the  uncertain  port  of 
Aux  Cayes  in  all  that  long  stretch,  and  seeing  but  few 
other  signs  of  life  for  over  150  miles;  and  as  the  sun  set 
the  last  they  saw  of  the  beautiful  but  superstition-ridden 
island  was  the  gilded  dome  of  La  Hotte,  a  lofty  mountain 
towering  a  mile  above  the  sea,  and  the  centre  of  a  part  of 
the  island,  the  Doctor  told  them,  that  was  even  worse  in 
wildness  and  in  degradation  than  any  they  had  seen.  As 
they  passed  Aux  Cayes  an  elderly  clergyman  on  board 
told  them  of  an  amusing  experience  of  his  some  years 
before  at  that  port.  He  had  been  sent  there  on  mission- 
ary work  and  came  well  introduced,  so  that  the  mayor  of 
the  town,  a  black,  gorgeous  in  cheap  gold  braid  and  a 
showy  uniform,  but  with  nearly  bare  feet  and  naked  ankles, 
called  on  him  with  much  formality. 


2i4  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


On  the  next  day  he  saw  this  same  gentleman  led  off  to 
the  town  lockup  to  be  detained  over  night,  for,  as  he  was 
the  principal  cook  of  the  place  as  well  as  its  mayor  and 
much  given  to  prolonged  sprees,  the  "  General  "  of  that 
region  had  thought  it  best  thus  to  capture  him  and  make 
sure  of  his  sobriety  on  the  morrow,  when  he  was  under 
contract  to  produce  a  state  dinner  for  his  chief.  At  this 
same  town  their  informant  had  also  seen  a  resplendent  indi- 
vidual, who  was  frequently  on  the  street  in  blue  coat,  white 
trousers,  a  cockaded  hat,  a  sword,  and  not  a  few  medals,  but 
with  bare  feet,  accosted  with  every  mark  of  distinguished 
consideration.  Taking  it  for  granted  that  here  was  some 
eminent  citizen,  he  made  inquiry  as  to  his  identity,  and 
was  informed  that  he  was  "  Monsieur,  le  Gardien  de  les 
Boeufs  "  ;  or,  in  our  less  high-sounding  English,  the  town's 
pound-keeper  and  catcher  of  stray  cattle. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   NEGRO'S    PARADISE 

Jamaica,  the  Brest-Port  Roya,-A  History  of  Gudt-The  Earthquake, 
Vengeance  -  A  Miraculous  Escape  -  A  Famous  Hurncane  -  Pehcans 
Ouashie  Lingo -Street  Sights  -  The  Jamaica  Museum  -  Mod.fied 
£  ^-Thoughts  of  Home-King,  House  -  Sir  Henry^  and 
Laoy  Biake-  Luxuriance  of  Life  in  the  Trop.cs -An  Ideal  VMS 
Resort -Troops  in  Cloudland- Chased  by  a  Storm 

WHEN  they  came  on  deck  the  next  morning  Ned  and 
Hal  found  the  Doctor  looking  towards  the  coast 
that  they  were  skirting,  a  low,  sandy  shore,  backed  by  a 
plain  gradually  ascending  to  where  steep  foothills  rose 
into  a  majestic  mountain  range  not  many  miles  in  the 
interior.     Seeing  the  boys,  one  on  each  side  of  him,  he 

"There,  boys,  is  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  in  all  God  s 
beautiful  earth.  Some  of  the  most  glowing  descriptions 
ever  penned  by  experienced  travellers  have  been  written 
of  Jamaica,  and  no  one  who  has  tasted  o  the  p  enty  o 
its  fertile  valleys  or  experienced  the  genial  climate  of  ts 
hills,  ever  feels  quite  content  again  in  the  bkak  north^ 
In  all  my  travels  I  have  never  seen  a  region  where  I  have 
felt  that  I  could  spend  my  days  in  greater  contentment 

than  here."  .        , .  ,    f. 

During   the   conversation    that  followed,  in  which  the 

Doctor  pointed  out  the  mountain  region  which  they  were 

215 


216  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


soon  to  visit,  the  breakfast  gong  sounded,  and  when  they 
came  out  on  deck  again  they  were  just  rounding  a  narrow 
point  of  land  and  coming  to  a  temporary  halt  in  front  of 
Port  Royal,  while  the  customs  authorities  and  the  port 
physician  came  on  board  to  go  through  the  necessary 
formalities.  While  the  ship's  papers  were  being  examined 
to  see  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  yellow  fever  or 
other  contagion  on  board,  the  Doctor  was  telling  the  boys 
something  of  the  early  history  of  the  low-lying,  uninviting 
town,  that  appeared  to  have  only  one  church,  but  an  abun- 
dance of  barracks  and  naval  storehouses  in  it,  with  some 
low,  forbidding  looking  fortresses  beyond  it  to  seaward. 

From  the  earliest  days  of  the  Spanish  conquest  and 
extermination  of  the  peaceful  Arrowack  natives  who  were 
the  inhabitants  of  Jamaica,  the  harbor  now  known  as 
Kingston  Harbor  had  been  recognized  as  one  of  the 
safest  naval  ports  in  the  world,  and  this  point  of  land 
at  its  entrance  was  early  settled  as  the  key  to  the  whole 
south  side  of  the  island,  for  whoever  owned  "Puerto  Real" 
controlled  that  harbor,  and  through  it  the  fast  growing 
capital  of  the  island,  San  Jago  de  la  Vega.  Thus  it  nat- 
urally came  that  Port  Royal  grew  to  be  the  principal  town 
of  the  island,  and  in  time  the  chief  city  of  the  West 
Indies,  when  the  buccaneers  and  freebooters  discovered 
its  merits  as  a  safe  harbor  for  their  vessels.  When  the 
island  succumbed  to  General  Venables  and  Admiral 
Penn,  father  of  our  own  good  William  Penn,  and  it  be- 
came an  English  colony  under  the  direction  of  Oliver 
Cromwell  and  his  Roundhead  parliament,  there  was  little 
change  in  Port  Royal.       Save  that  the  ships  that  sailed 


The  Negro  s  Paradise  217 


into  it,  laden  with  booty  wrested  from  the  mainlands  or 
seized  by  piracy  on  the  high  seas,  new  the  English  flag 
and  proceeded  against  the  ships  of  Spain  and  France,  in- 
stead of  the  reverse,  as  had  so  long  been  the  case,  the 
scenes  of  unlawful  carnage  and  unholy  thirst  for  gain  were 
much  as  before.  Storehouses  were  bursting  with  the 
cloths  and  silks  of  Europe's  choicest  looms  and  the 
wines  and  luxuries  that  had  been  sent  out  to  colonial 
governors  and  nabobs,  but  that  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  licensed  British  piracy  and  found  their  way  to  the  city, 
which  towards  the  close  of  the  17th  century  grew  to  be 
known  as  the  richest  and  wickedest  spot  of  land  of  its 
size  in  all  the  earth. 

Finally  there  came  a  day  in  the  history  of  this  wicked 
town,  a  day  that  could  well  be  called  a  Day  of  Judgment, 
when  on  a  beautiful  Sabbath  morning,  at  about  the  time 
the  few  church-goers  were  on  their  homeward  way,  a 
quivering  of  the  ground  was  felt ;  and  before  they  had 
time  to  seek  places  of  shelter,  the  roofs  began  to  topple 
upon  them,  and  with  one  convulsive  throb  a  great  part  of 
the  town  went  down  under  the  surging  force  of  a  mighty 
tidal  wave.  Following  quickly  came  another  convulsion 
of  the  earthquake,  and  where,  but  a  moment  before,  had 
stood  the  best  and  most  prosperous  part  of  the  town  were 
forty  feet  of  the  troubled  waters  of  the  bay.  The  divers 
say  that  even  yet  they  can  find  signs,  after  all  these 
200  years,  of  the  overwhelmed  city,  now  richly  over- 
grown with  coral  and  sponge;  and  there  are  not  a  few 
Jamaicans  who  are  blessed  with  such  imaginations  that, 
on   very  clear  days   when  the  water  is  least  in  motion, 


218  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


they  profess  to  be  able  to  see  signs  of  the  submerged 
scene  of  wealth  and  luxury  over  the  sides  of  their  boats. 

"  How  many  people  were  drowned  ?  "  asked  Ned,  after 
the  Doctor  had  told  them  this. 

"  Thousands  upon  thousands  ;  and  not  only  here,  but 
throughout  the  whole  island,  in  every  part  of  which  the 
destructiveness  of  the  earthquake  was  felt.  So  many  were 
killed  here  that  the  floating  corpses  in  the  harbor  brought 
the  yellow  fever,  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  though  this 
cause  would  kill  as  many  as  the  earthquake  had.  Few 
survived  in  the  submerged  part  of  the  city,  and  of  the 
few  who  did  by  far  the  most  famous  was  the  man  who 
now  lies  buried  over  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbor  at 
Green  Bay.  His  gravestone  tells  to  this  day  that  he  had 
been  out  to  buy  a  live  rooster  for  dinner,  and  that  when 
the  first  tidal  wave  overtook  him  and  he  went  down  he 
forgot,  in  his  agony,  to  let  go  the  bird  ;  and  when  the 
second  shock  was  followed  by  another  enormous  wave,  he 
was  thrown  high  and  dry  upon  the  land  with  the  rooster 
still  firmly  held  in  his  hand,  neither  of  them  being  much 
the  worse  for  their  terrible  experience.  It  was  more  than 
forty  years  afterward  that  he  was  laid  at  rest  at  Green 
Bay." 

While  these  facts  had  been  engrossing  the  boys'  thoughts 
the  port  physician  had  passed  the  vessel,  and  they  were  in 
a  little  while  well  on  their  way  to  the  Kingston  docks,  six 
miles  away  on  the  north  shore  of  the  bay.  The  Doctor 
called  their  attention  to  the  spaciousness  of  this  land-locked 
bay,  stating  that  while  it  was  quite  capable  of  sheltering  the 
combined  navies  of  the  world  and  was  claimed  by  many  to 


The  Negro  s  Paradise  219 

be  one  of  the  five  finest  harbors  in  the  world,  it  was  so  pro- 
tected by  coral  reefs  at  its  mouth  that  no  vessel  could  hope 
to  enter  it  safely  against  the  fire  of  the  forts  at  Port  Royal. 
Yet  its  placid  loveliness  as  they  now  sailed  in,  he  explained, 
was  by  no  means  indicative  of  what  was  possible  when 
a  West  Indian  hurricane  swept  over  it.  In  earlier  days, 
when  Kingston  was  the  metropolis  of  all  these  islands,  a 
hurricane  had  suddenly  turned  its  quiet  waters  into  a  sea 
of  foaming  billows,  masthead  high,  and  when  the  storm 
subsided  over  one  hundred  vessels  of  various  kinds  and 
sizes  had  sunk  to  be  covered  with  the  palaces  built  up  by 
corals,  sponges,  and  zoophytes. 

As  they  steamed  up  the  harbor  scores  of  pelicans  were 
to  be  seen  sitting  lazily  on  the  buoys,  while  here  and  there 
one  sailing  overhead  suddenly  folded  its  wings  and  darted 
into  the  water  with  great  force,  always  returning  to  the  sur- 
face with  a  captured  fish. 

"  Pelicans  always  strike  the  water  at  an  angle  and  never 
enter  it  from  an  exactly  vertical  position,"  said  the  Doctor. 
"  This  is  believed  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  saving  them  as 
much  as  possible  from  the  terrible  strain  on  their  enormous 
bills  as  they  enter  the  water  with  such  force  and  thereby 
diminishing  the  shock  to  their  rather  slender  necks.  Al- 
though all  their  feeding  is  done  in  the  bays  and  on  salt- 
water fish,  they  live  in  the  mountains  and  only  seek  these 
waters  for  food." 

Unlike  the  other  harbors  the  boys  had  thus  far  visited  in 
the  West  Indies,  they  found  Kingston  provided  with  excel- 
lent docks  ;  but  when  their  vessel  was  made  fast  to  one  of 
the  best  of  these  and  the  gang-plank  was  run  out,  their 


220  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

vessel  was  soon  boarded  by  much  the  same  sort  of  black 
people  as  they  had  seen  elsewhere,  save  that  these  looked 
more  thrifty  and  intelligent  than  the  others.  But  the 
language  that  greeted  their  ears  made  a  most  vivid  impres- 
sion on  both  of  the  boys  from  the  first,  and  Harry,  turning 
to  the  Doctor,  said, 

"  I  thought  this  was  an  English  colony  and  supposed 
we  should  hear  English  spoken  here.  What  sort  of  lan- 
guage are  these  people  talking,  anyway  ?  I  hear  some 
English  words,  but  the  most  of  it  is  the  most  ridiculous 
'jabberwocky  '  I've  heard  yet." 

"  And  the  strangest  part  of  it  is  that  they  think  it  is 
English,"  the  Doctor  replied.  "Speak  to  any  of  them  and 
you  will  see  that  your  English  is  understood  perfectly,  but 
you  will  have  to  be  on  the  island  for  some  time,  several 
months  in  fact,  before  you  can  understand  their  replies 
perfectly.     Try  one  with  a  question,  Harry." 

Picking  out  a  strapping  big,  coal-black  fellow  in  a  white 
linen  suit,  who  was  talking  most  vociferously,  Harry  said, 

"  How  much  will  you  charge  to  carry  my  trunk  and  two 
satchels  to  the  Custom  House  wharf?  Can  you  carry 
them  all  at  once? " 

"  Hi,  Buckrah  !  I  dat  quick-quick  fe  quattie  fe  de  liT 
tings,  an'  tanner  fe  tunk." 

"There  you  have  a  fair  but  a  rather  easy  example  of 
Jamaica  negro  talk,  or  '  Quashie  dialect,'  as  it  is  called," 
said  the  Doctor,  laughing  as  he  saw  Hal's  look  of  bewilder- 
ment at  the  reply  his  question  had  received.  "  What  he 
has  tried  to  make  you  understand  is  that  he  will  charge 
you  a  '  quattie '  or  one-quarter  of  a  sixpence  (three  cents 


The  Negro s  Paradise  221 

in  our  money)  for  each  of  your  small  packages,  and  a 
'  tanner '  or  sixpence  for  the  trunk.  Before  you  have 
been  here  long  you  will  hear  even  queerer  English  than 
that,  especially  in  the  interior." 

After  the  belongings  of  the  party  had  been  passed  by  the 
customs  authorities,  the  Doctor  hailed  one  of  the  many 
cabs  that  were  passing  back  and  forth  or  standing  on  nearly 
every  corner,  and  for  the  use  of  which  the  very  modest 
charge  of  sixpence  was  made  for  each  person  for  any  dis- 
tance within  the  central  part  of  the  city,  and  putting  their 
satchels  in  with  the  boys,  their  trunks  having  been  sent  on 
ahead,  at  the  words  "Park  Lodge! "  their  horse  was  off  at 
a  sort  of  combination  between  a  trot  and  a  canter.  As 
they  moved  along  through  the  well-filled  streets,  in  which 
there  were  more  pedestrians  than  vehicles,  because  most 
of  the  sidewalks  were  merely  porches  in  front  of  the  busi- 
ness places  and  were  placed  at  all  sorts  of  inconvenient 
levels,  the  Doctor  explained  to  them  that  while  there  were 
several  very  comfortable  hotels  in  Kingston,  one  of  which 
made  special  claims  to  being  quite  Northern  in  its  style,  he 
was  going  to  take  them  to  one  of  the  most  cosy  of  them, 
where  the  Creole  cooking  and  typical  Jamaica  ways  would 
be  a  pleasant  surprise  to  them,  after  their  experience  with 
Haitian  cookery  and  uncleanliness. 

This  place  was  found  to  be  towards  the  outskirts  of 
the  town,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall  and  in  the  midst  of  a 
very  charming  tropical  garden.  From  this  point  the  lads 
found  it  quite  convenient  to  make  trips  of  exploration  into 
the  heart  of  the  city,  and  yet  they  were  sufficiently  near 
enough  to  some  good  collecting  fields  outside  of  the  town 


222  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

to  be  able  to  get  to  them  without  attracting  undue  atten- 
tion. Among  their  town  trips  one  of  the  most  interesting 
was  to  the  museum  and  library  of  the  Jamaica  Institute, 
where  they  found  a  very  fair  collection  of  the  animal  and 
plant  life  of  the  island  carefully  arranged  and  well  dis- 
played, together  with  many  interesting  books  pertaining  to 
the  island's  history  and  resources,  and  a  fair  collection  of 
curiosities  and  relics.  Chief  among  the  latter  was  the 
cracked  bronze  bell  that  had  hung  in  the  church  tower  at 
Port  Royal  at  the  time  of  the  famous  earthquake,  and  an 
iron  cage  with  cruel  spikes  in  it,  which  had  been  dug  up 
with  some  human  bones  in  it,  and  which  was  known  to 
have  been  used  to  hang  up  slaves  alive,  so  that  they  could 
die  by  slow  torment. 

A  sail  across  the  bay  to  the  naval  station,  a  drive  to  the 
military  barracks,  where  the  black  troops,  or  "  West  India 
Regiments"  as  they  are  called,  are  stationed,  a  trip  on  the 
railway  to  quaint  old  Spanishtown,  or  Saint  Jago  de  la  Vega 
(St.  James  of  the  Valley),  as  it  was  called  for  three  centu- 
ries, and  various  strolls  through  the  more  primitive  parts 
of  the  city,  occupied  several  days  of  their  rapidly  shorten- 
ing time  in  a  very  pleasant  way.  Their  inspection  of 
Kingston  was  a  continued  source  of  surprise  to  them. 
They  had  become  so  accustomed  to  negro  squalor  and 
wretchedness,  so  accustomed  to  think  of  the  negro  as  a 
thoroughly  unreliable  being,  after  their  sojourn  in  Haiti, 
that  it  was  hard  for  them  to  realize  for  a  time  what  a  dif- 
ference there  was  between  the  negrodom  of  Port  au  Prince 
and  that  of  Kingston.  When  it  did  begin  to  dawn 
upon   them   that   here,    notwithstanding  that  there  were 


The  Negro s  Paradise  22 


j 


many  very  idle,  worthless  blacks  among  the  population, 
especially  among  the  men,  still  the  general  average  of 
industry,  cleanliness,  and  good  behavior  was  quite  equal 
to  that  of  most  towns  peopled  with  whites,  they  saw  how 
well  it  was  that  the  Doctor  had  cautioned  them  against 
forming  their  ideas  of  the  negro's  chances  of  advancement 
from  what  they  saw  in  Haiti.  As  they  stood  on  an  obser- 
vation tower  one  afternoon  looking  over  the  clustering 
houses,  all  so  much  like  large  white  boxes,  with  regular 
roofs  sloping  in  each  direction  from  a  central  peak  and 
with  their  uniform,  green  "jalousie"  blinds,  Ned  said, 

"  Really,  Doctor,  I  think  this  must  be  a  charming  place 
to  live  in.  I  don't  see  but  that  the  few  hundred  whites  in  the 
city  manage  the  place  and  all  its  black  people  quite  as  well 
as  though  they  were  in  the  majority.  Everything  seems 
as  orderly  and  almost  as  businesslike  as  in  our  own  land." 

"  If  it  were  as  you  seem  to  think,  that  the  whites  manage 
the  blacks,  things  might  not  move  on  so  well,  but  the  fact 
is  that  the  blacks  and  browns  have  the  affairs  of  the  town 
just  as  much  at  heart  as  the  whites  have,  simply  because 
they  have  precisely  the  same  rights  and  privileges  and  all 
colors  govern  together.  It  does  me  good  every  time  I  come 
to  Kingston,  simply  because  I  see  here,  better  than  any- 
where else,  how  much  the  black  man  is  capable  of  under 
fair  treatment,  and  I  realize  that  he  is  the  coming  man  in 
all  tropical  America.  These  uniformly  hot  climates  are 
too  hard  on  the  whites  for  them  ever  to  reach  a  successful 
form  of  civilization  here  alone  ;  in  two  or  three  generations 
they  die  out,  while  the  blacks  grow  and  thrive  here,  and  in 
time  will,  I  feel  sure,  make  of  all  the  region  from  Cuba  to 


224  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

the  Amazon  one  of  the  world's  principal  gardens,"  the 
Doctor  replied. 

After  a  few  days  of  such  inspection  the  party  moved  out 
from  Kingston  to  a  favorite  resort,  Constant  Springs,  where 
a  large  hotel  under  American  management  was  one  of  the 
principal  attractions  of  the  island,  and  where  their  close 
proximity  to  the  mountains  made  it  possible  for  them  to 
vary  their  collecting  experiences  very  much.  Here,  too, 
the  electric  light,  with  which  the  hotel  was  supplied,  proved 
to  be  very  attractive  to  moths,  and  many  were  the  rarities 
that  they  added  each  night  to  their  rapidly  growing  stores. 
A  large  bath-house  provided  with  the  largest  bathing-tank 
the  boys  had  ever  seen  was  also  a  great  attraction,  and  they 
both  voted  this  to  be  altogether  the  best  place  they  had 
yet  found  for  studying  tropical  nature  under  the  most  com- 
fortable circumstances. 

When  they  had  first  reached  the  island  the  lads  had  found 
quite  a  varied  collection  of  letters  awaiting  their  arrival 
from  their  parents  and  sister,  and  from  these  they  eagerly 
devoured  the  news.  In  a  letter  to  the  Doctor  their  father 
informed  them  that  the  principal  of  their  school  had  been 
seriously  ill  and  that  it  had  been  decided  not  to  open  the 
school  again  for  some  time,  perhaps  not  before  the  next  fall 
term,  if  ever  at  all.  Therefore,  their  parents  were  willing 
that  they  should  stay  some  weeks  longer  if  they  so  desired, 
considering  the  very  excellent  reports  of  their  behavior 
that  the  Doctor  had  made.  In  reply  to  this  the  Doctor 
answered  by  cablegram  that  the  boys  were  anxious  to  con- 
tinue their  Nature  studies  under  the  tropical  sun,  but  that 
they  were  also  anxious  to  spend  the  coming  Christmas  at 


The  Negro s  Paradise  225 

home.  As  they  had  collected  duplicate  material  that  would 
far  more  than  pay  their  expenses,  they  would  like  permission 
to  come  home  for  two  or  three  weeks  and  to  return  in  Jan- 
uary. To  this  Mr.  Dawson  replied  by  cablegram,  with  his 
usual  businesslike  brevity  :    "  All  well.     Come." 

This  they  got  soon  after  they  arrived  at  Constant 
Spring  Hotel,  and  at  once  all  their  spare  time  was  given 
to  getting  their  collections  ready  to  ship  home  on  the 
next  Atlas  Line  steamer.  In  the  meantime,  the  Doctor, 
who  had  already  the  pleasure  of  acquaintance  at  King's 
House,  as  the  residence  of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria's 
Governor-General  of  the  island  is  called,  had  called  on 
His  Excellency  the  Governor,  Sir  Henry  Arthur  Blake 
and  Lady  Blake,  and  on  his  return  had  brought  with  him 
kindly  invitations  to  the  boys  to  lunch  at  King's  House 
and  inspect  the  Governor's  botanical  treasures  and  Lady 
Blake's  insect  collections  and  miniature  menagerie. 

King's  House  stands  back  from  Kingston  on  the  rising 
plain  that  reaches  from  the  sea  to  the  mountains  and 
about  four  miles  from  the  city.  When  they  drove  over 
to  it  from  their  hotel,  the  boys  were  charmed  both  by  the 
beauty  of  its  surroundings  and  the  tropical  elegance  of 
its  arrangement. 

The  house  itself  they  found  to  be,  like  all  of  those  of 
the  wealthy  West  Indians,  planned  to  keep  out  hot  air  and 
rain  in  a  way  that  is  only  possible  where  cold  weather 
is  unknown  and  stoves  and  chimneys  are  unnecessary 
things.  The  walls  were  amply  provided  with  "jalousie" 
blinds,  let  into  them  in  panels  in  such  a  way  as  to  permit 
a  free  play  of  the  air  from  the  spacious  porches  without 

Q 


226  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

allowing  one  ray  of  direct  sunlight  to  enter.  The  polished 
floors,  with  here  and  there  a  rich  rug,  and  the  light,  airy- 
furniture  combined  with  the  subdued  light  to  give  a  sense 
of  coolness  and  repose  that  was  most  delightfully  refresh- 
ing in  contrast  with  the  noonday  sun  outside. 

As  the  Doctor  had  told  them  would  be  the  case,  they 
found  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Blake  what  Ned,  naturalist- 
like, afterwards  well  described  as  "  type  specimens  of  the 
highest  variety  of  their  species  "  ;  or,  as  the  Doctor  put  it, 
those  unsurpassed  examples  of  what  the  human  species 
is  capable  of,  a  true  English  gentleman  and  lady.  As  was 
natural  to  young  Americans,  who  had  never  met  any 
members  of  the  titled  English  aristocracy,  the  boys  were 
a  little  inclined  to  feel  shy  at  first.  But  Lady  Blake's 
perfectly  prepared  collections  and  equally  perfect  paintings 
of  the  larval  and  preparatory  life  of  butterflies  and 
moths  soon  so  engrossed  their  attention  that  they  were 
entirely  at  ease  and  exchanging  collecting  experiences 
with  Her  Ladyship  as  though  they  had  been  lifelong 
acquaintances. 

After  luncheon  —  a  thoroughly  luxurious,  tropical  meal 
—  His  Excellency,  Sir  Henry,  took  his  young  guests  in 
charge,  showing  them  the  wealth  of  his  botanical  treasures, 
his  orchid  collections,  rare  ferns,  and  other  strange  growths, 
and  on  their  way  back  to  the  house  exhibited  Her  Ladyship's 
pets,  a  pair  of  monkeys,  a  coatimimdi,  or  "  ant-bear,"  a 
full-grown  but  kitten-like  American  tiger-cat,  quite  able  to 
tear  one  of  them  to  pieces,  and  some  other  like  rarities. 
They  were  so  impressed  with  the  charming  possibilities 
of  wealth  in  the  tropics,    that  impulsive  Harry  declared, 


The  Negro  s  Paradise  227 

much  to  the  amusement  of  all,  that  he  would  never  stop 
teasing  until  his  father  had  bought  a  home  in  Jamaica. 
Under  the  care  of  these  entertainers  the  time  soon  slipped 
by,  and  it  was  with  regret  that  the  boys  were  compelled 
finally  to  listen  to  the  Doctor's  admonition  about  the 
hour ;  but  an  invitation  to  repeat  their  visit  in  the  event 
of  their  return  to  the  island  and  then  to  be  members  of 
a  party  to  spend  a  few  days  at  Sir  Henry's  lodge  in  the 
mountains,  a  rare  collecting  field,  as  Lady  Blake's  collec- 
tion proved,  reconciled  them  in  a  measure. 

As  they  drove  away,  along  the  winding  roads  of  the 
large  estate,  the  great  variety  of  tropical  growths,  not 
only  native  but  brought  from  all  warm  climates,  and  the 
rare  insects  hovering  over  this  varied  collection  of  bright 
hues  and  sweet  odors,  caused  Ned  to  join  Harry  in  the 
determination  to  urge  upon  their  father  the  beauties  and 
charms  of  this  lovely  island  as  a  winter  home.  Suddenly 
thinking  that  where  there  was  so  much  to  charm  there 
must  be  some  decided  drawbacks,  or  else  there  would  be 
more  wealthy  men  from  the  bleak  North  to  take  advantage 
of  the  island's  attractions,  Ned  asked, 

"Why  don't  more  Americans  come  down  here,  Doctor? 
They  can  certainly  get  here  much  sooner  and  more  cheaply 
than  they  can  reach  Italy  and  the  south  of  France,  where 
so  many  go  in  winter.  Is  not  the  climate  just  as  good; 
or  is  there  danger  of  yellow  fever  here  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  more  native  danger  of  fevers  in  Kingston 
than  in  New  York  ;  the  few  cases  of  yellow  fever  that  do 
spring  up,  perhaps  two  or  three  a  year,  are  introduced  by 
sailors  and  never  are  allowed  to  spread.     A  man  of  means 


228  The  Butterfly  Htmters 

can  have  a  home  in  the  hills  and  there  he  can  enjoy  for 
every  month  in  the  year  a  climate  such  as  we  have  in 
the  delicious  days  of  early  June. 

"So  far  as  I  can  see,"  the  Doctor  continued,  "there  is 
nothing  but  American  ignorance  of  Jamaica's  charms  and 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  fashion  to  go  to  the  south  of  France, 
to  Italy,  and  our  own  Florida  and  Southern  California,  to 
account  for  the  fact  that  so  few  ever  taste  of  this  island's 
sweets.  France  and  Italy  have,  to  be  sure,  much  in  the 
way  of  antiquity  and  art  to  offer,  but  aside  from  that  neither 
they  nor  any  part  of  our  country  can  for  an  instant  com- 
pare with  Jamaica  in  climate,  in  interesting,  odd  natives, 
in  vegetable  luxuriance,  or  in  the  wealth  of  material  for 
research  into  Nature's  ways." 

The  next  day  was  given  to  a  trip  by  carriage  along  the 
rocky  defiles  of  the  Hope  River  Valley  to  Gordon  Town, 
and  from  that  point,  by  an  ever  climbing  trail,  on  horseback 
to  Newcastle,  where  the  English  troops  are  garrisoned. 
Well  up  toward  a  mile  above  the  sea,  high  on  the  rugged 
slopes  of  the  mountains  overlooking  Kingston  Harbor,  far 
above  all  danger  of  fevers  or  other  ills  common  to  the  care- 
less dwellers  in  an  army  camp,  with  cosy  cottages  and 
gardens  for  the  officers,  and  comfortable  barracks,  baths, 
play-grounds,  and  a  canteen  for  the  men,  these  English  and 
Irish  soldiers  lead  a  more  comfortable  life  there  than  in 
most  colonial  stations.  Above  them  a  little  way  was  the 
dividing  ridge  of  the  mountain,  and  from  a  gap  to  which 
they  rode  and  where  they  ate  their  dinner,  the  boys  could 
clearly  see  both  sides  of  the  island  and  the  blue  Caribbean 
Sea  on  either  hand. 


The  Negro  s  Paradise  229 


Their  homeward  way  was  made  lively  by  an  approaching 
thunder-storm,  a  thing  of  almost  daily  occurrence  on  these 
hio;h  hills,  which  chased  them  down  the  hillsides  as  fast 
as  their  fleet-footed  ponies  could  go,  and  finally  overtook 
them  with  a  terrific  downpour  just  as  they  had  reached  a 
sheltering  shed  by  the  roadside.  Yet,  when  its  fury  had 
passed  over  and  the  warm  sunshine  came  back  to  make 
everything  steam  like  a  hothouse  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
they  had  reached  the  valley  at  Gordon  Town,  they  were  not 
a  little  surprised  to  find  that  the  road  down  there  was  as 
dry  and  dusty  as  it  was  in  the  morning.  This  the  Doctor 
explained  by  telling  them  that  often  during  a  month  or  two 
of  drought  in  the  lowlands  thunder-storms  may  be  plainly 
seen  every  day  in  the  hills. 


CHAPTER   XV 

IN    THE    HOME    OF    HOMERUS 

Richard,  the  Driver — The  Convicts  —  Rock  Fort  —  Cane  River  Falls  — 
The  Scarcity  of  Whites  — The  Negro  Races— The  "Gordon  Riots"  — 
George  William  Gordon  —  The  Carnage  at  Morant  Bay  —  Terrible  Retri- 
bution—  Bath  and  its  Attractions  —  Cacao,  Coca,  Coco,  and  Cocoa  — 
"  A  Homerus  !  A  Homerus  !  "  — The  Baths  of  Saint  Thomas  —  A  Roman- 
tic Legend 

THE  next  day  was  given  up  by  the  boys  to  the  shipment 
of  all  their  treasures  and  collections,  only  their  satchels 
and  collecting  outfits  being  retained  for  the  carriage  trip 
to  Bath,  and  on  the  next  morning,  when  the  sun  rose  out 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  they  were  already  several  miles  on 
their  eastward  journey.  From  Constant  Springs  to  Bath 
is  a  distance  of  forty-eight  miles  by  the  road  they  were  to 
follow,  mainly  along  the  southern  coast  of  the  island,  and 
if  none  of  the  rivers  were  "down,"  the  Doctor  told  them, 
there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  driving  the  distance  in 
time  for  a  late  dinner  in  the  lodging-house  in  Bath,  stop- 
ping for  an  early  lunch  at  Yallah's  Bay  and  taking  a  hasty 
peep  at  some  of  the  sights  of  the  wayside  as  well. 

The  rivers  on  the  south  coast  are  treacherous  and 
unmanageable ;  most  of  the  time  they  are  mere  sandy 
and  pebbly  gullies,  not  enough  water  coming  into  them 
from  their  sources  in  the  hills  to  reach  the  sea  after  all  the 

evaporation  and  sinking  into  the  parched  sands  that  the 

230 


In  the  Home  of  Homerus  231 

hot  sun  causes,  but  at  other  times,  when  they  are  turned 
by  the  mountain  rains  into  roaring  bank-covering  torrents, 
they  are  quite  impassable,  and  more  than  one  foolhardy 
traveller  has  lost  his  life  in  attempting  to  ford  them.  In 
his  driver  the  Doctor  had  implicit  confidence,  however ; 
for  he  was  known  throughout  the  island  as  the  best  in 
his  profession,  and  even  the  principal  guide-book  of  the 
island  said  of  him  :  "  Richard  Davis,  the  best  driver  in 
Jamaica,  is  a  perfect  guide,  and  ready  reference-book, 
furnished  with  marginal  notes  and  bound  in  brown 
leather."  Richard  was  everywhere  known  as  the  driver 
who  piloted  "His  'X'lency,  de  Gov'nah  "  around  the  island, 
and  his  knowledge  of  all  the  treacherous  fordings  made 
the  Doctor  feel  safe  in  his  care. 

Three  miles  east  from  Kingston,  and  near  the  harbor 
head,  the  travellers  came  upon  large  cliffs  from  which  stone 
for  the  macadam  roads  and  for  ship  ballast  is  taken  by  the 
convicts  from  the  prison  near  the  city.  These  they  saw 
walking  in  double  file  up  from  the  shore,  where  they 
had  just  rowed  in  barges  holding  forty  or  fifty  each,  and 
on  the  back  of  the  light-colored  canvas  suit  of  each  was 
painted  in  large  black  characters  certain  cabalistic  marks 
which  told  their  keepers  when  each  had  been  sentenced, 
for  how  long,  and  the  nature  of  his  crime.  Just  beyond 
where  they  were  at  work  was  old  Rock  Fort,  once  the 
main  fortress  and  dependence  of  the  Spaniards  against 
English  invasion,  but  long  centuries  ago  abandoned  and 
made  useless  by  the  advance  in  naval  warfare.  Its  black- 
ened, overgrown  walls,  its  buttresses  and  peep-holes,  in 
one  of  which  a  colony  of  wild  bees  were  busy  storing  up 


232  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


honey  where  once  the  eager  Spanish  lookout  had  kept 
watch,  and  the  roof,  long  since  fallen  in,  all  spoke  of  days 
when  copper  five-pounders  and  blunderbusses  were  all  that 
was  necessary  to  guard  the  rich  plains  behind  them. 

The  first  stop  on  the  road  was  made  when  the  party 
came  to  the  Cane  River,  a  rivulet  that  barely  reached  the 
sea,  but  which  Richard  told  them  was  of  sufficient  size 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  inland  to  make  one  of  the  most 
striking  waterfalls  in  the  West  Indies.  Leaving  their 
team,  they  tramped  over  a  winding  donkey-path  across  a 
mile  of  hot  plains  and  scrub  growth,  suddenly  coming  to 
a  turn  in  the  stream,  which  oddly  increased  in  size  with 
every  yard  traversed  towards  its  source,  where  the  rock 
wall  of  the  hills  narrowed  in,  and  a  deep  gorge  had  been 
cut  in  the  mountain  by  the  endless  action  of  the  stream. 
Here  the  road  became  a  sort  of  niche  cut  in  the  face  of 
the  perpendicular  precipices,  with  every  now  and  then  a 
steep  grade,  so  steep  in  fact  that  steps  had  been*  made 
tfyat  the  produce-laden  donkeys  might  gain  a  firm  footing 
on  such  steep  hills.  At  the  head  of  the  last  of  these 
the  river,  here  a  stream  of  some  bulk,  although  no  more 
than  would  be  called  a  creek  in  the  north,  as  Harry 
remarked,  bounded  over  a  rocky  wall  from  the  pleasant, 
open  valley  above,  to  enter  the  gorge  they  had  just  passed 
through.  Here  the  road,  a  public  highway  and  under  the 
care  of  the  parish,  passed  for  several  rods  through  a 
cave  which  had  undoubtedly  at  one  time  been  the  river's 
bed.  In  this  cave  the  boys  collected  some  large  centi- 
pedes, one  of  which  was  eleven  inches  long  and  the  largest 
they  had  ever  seen. 


In  the  Home  of  Homerus  233 


During  all  of  this  day's  drive  and  during  their  stop  at 
Yallah's  Bay  for  lunch  and  at  Morant  Bay  to  inspect  some 
of  its  places  of  historic  interest,  the  boys  were  impressed 
with  the  absence  of  white  people  from  the  region,  and 
Ned  asked  the  Doctor  how  the  blacks  and  the  half-breeds 
had  got  control  of  everything. 

"Perhaps  nowhere  else  on  the  island  have  the  blacks 
been  given  what  is  called  'full  swing'  so  completely  as 
in  this  parish  of  Saint  Thomas,"  was  the  reply.  "  No 
doubt  this  is  to  a  great  extent  due  to  the  insurrection 
of  the  blacks,  known  as  the  'Gordon  Riots,'  in  1865,  of 
which  I  will  tell  you,  but  it  is  also  largely  due  to  the  fact 
that  it  has  been  less  accessible  than  other  regions  to 
steam  navigation  and  therefore  less  attractive  to  the 
white  planters.  Then,  too,  for  some  reason  a  more 
determined  race  of  negroes  appears  to  have  been  intro- 
duced to  this  part  of  the  island  in  slavery  times,  and  this 
whole  eastern  end  of  the  island  has  displayed  a  greater 
degree  of  self-reliance  and  intolerance  of  white  rule  than 
the  middle  or  western  portions." 

"  Were  the  negro  races  that  were  brought  from  Africa 
so  different  ?  I  always  thought  they  were  all  about  the 
same  sort,"  said  Harry. 

"There  were  as  great  differences  between  them,  even 
greater,  perhaps,  than  now  exist  in  the  nations  of  Europe," 
the  Doctor  replied.  "The  traders  brought  to  the  West 
Indies  representatives  of  almost  every  tribe  on  the  West 
Coast  of  Africa  and  of  its  interior  for  many  hundreds  of 
miles.  There  were  Mandingoes,  Foulahs,  Jolofs,  Feletahs, 
Eboes,  Mokos,  Congoes,  Feloups,  Coromantins,  Bissagoes, 


234  Fhe  Butterfly  Hunters 

Shangallas,  and  others  the  names  of  which  would  be 
equally  new  to  you.  Among  these  the  Mandingoes  were 
noticeable  for  their  temperate  habits,  enterprise,  and 
cleanliness.  They  were  not  black,  but  a  dark  brown. 
They  were  good  accountants,  many  of  them  keeping  their 
accounts  in  the  Arabic  language.  In  great  contrast  to 
them  were  the  Jolofs,  who  were  jet  black,  but  with 
regular,  almost  European  features,  and  of  a  careless,  fiery 
disposition  and  opposed  to  labor.  They  were  the  Span- 
iards of  Africa,  while  the  Mandingoes  may  well  be  called 
the  English  of  that  continent.  The  Germans  were  repre- 
sented, in  turn,  by  the  Foulahs,  who  were  a  mild,  affable 
people,  fond  of  hunting,  music,  and  song,  and  easily 
governed.  They  were  copper-colored,  handsome,  tall, 
slim,  with  small  hands  and  feet,  and  thin  curved  noses. 
Many  students  of  mankind  believe  them  not  to  be  true 
Africans,  but  the  descendants  from  some  Eastern  people 
of  strong  Malay  characters,  who  had  come  to  Africa  by 
way  of  Madagascar. 

"The  Eboes  were  a  squat,  heavy  set,  and  very  black 
and  ugly  tribe,  tough,  careless,  cruel,  and  dissipated ;  while 
the  Coromantins,  like  them  in  color  and  ugliness,  were 
large,  powerful,  and  very  capable  men,  but  much  feared 
by  their  masters  on  account  of  their  quarrelsome  and 
incendiary  tempers.  One  sees  more  Coromantin  types 
of  negroes  here  in  Saint  Thomas  than  elsewhere  in 
Jamaica.  The  Congoes  from  the  coast  were  a  rather 
intelligent,  mild,  even-tempered,  but  lazy,  intemperate 
people,  while  those  of  the  interior-  were  fierce,  dangerous, 
and  murderous  cannibals.     The  Bissagoes  were  by  far  the 


In  the  Home  of  Homerus  235 

most  degraded  and  beastly,  and  were  excessively  super- 
stitious. While  these  various  tribes  belonged  to  the  great 
African  stock,  they  differed  very  much  in  appearance, 
still  more  in  language,  and  even  more  in  habits  and 
customs.  In  the  latter,  however,  they  were  all  related 
by  one  religious  peculiarity, — all  were  snake-worshippers, 
or  believers  in  Obeah. 

"  These  facts  will  enable  you  to  understand  why  it  is 
that  these  black  people  differ  so  very  much  and  why  one 
man  will  rise  from  slavery  to  the  high  walks  of  public  life, 
while  those  around  him  stay  down  in  the  lower  ranks. 
But  the  wonder  is,  nevertheless,  that  any  of  them  have 
risen  so  high  and  so  soon,  when  we  remember  how  little 
was  done  for  them  until  quite  recently.  During  slavery 
almost  nothing  was  done  for  their  moral  instruction  ;  they 
were  allowed  to  worship  snakes  to  their  hearts'  content,  and 
only  interfered  with  when  their  nightly  orgies  prevented 
them  from  doing  good  work  the  next  day.  It  is  easily 
within  the  memory  of  old  persons  still  living,  that  a  real 
earnest  effort  was  made  to  civilize  them  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  term ;  yet  in  this  island  you  will  find  many  of  them 
in  public  places,  which  they  grace  and  do  honor  to  quite 
as  well  as  would  most  of  their  white  neighbors." 

At  Morant  Bay  the  party  halted  early  in  the  afternoon 
to  take  a  look  at  the  town  where  the  " Gordon  Riots"  had 
centred.  Before  1865  there  had  been  a  growing  dissatis- 
faction among  the  blacks  of  the  island,  especially  those  of 
this  parish,  because  of  the  heavy  taxes  and  rents  placed 
on  the  cultivators  of  small  patches  of  land,  and  also 
because  one  of  these  taxes,  which  was  especially  heavy, 


236  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

was  to  support  the  State  Church,  of  which  very  few  of 
them  were  members,  but  to  which  all  were  compelled  to 
contribute,  notwithstanding  the  contributions  which  they 
made  to  their  own  denominations.  Owning  several  of  the 
finest  of  these  estates,  as  also  some  of  the  best  near  Kings- 
ton, where  he  lived,  was  a  brown  man,  George  William 
Gordon,  who,  although  born  a  slave,  had  risen  to  become 
one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  island  and  a  member  of 
its  legislature.  Gordon  had  been  the  slave  of  his  own 
father,  a  cold-blooded,  selfish  white  man,  who  had  done 
little  for  his  son  ;  yet  that  son's  first  act  when  his  rare 
ability  won  him  success  as  a  free  man,  was  to  place  his 
heartless  father  on  the  very  plantation  from  which  the  ruin 
that  overwhelmed  him  on  the  abolition  of  slavery  had  com- 
pelled him  to  move.  This  was  a  fair  indication  of  Gor- 
don's goodness  of  heart,  and  when  it  is  added  to  this  that 
he  was  a  very  devoutly  religious  man  and  very  desirous  of 
helping  his  people,  the  blacks  of  the  island,  to  elevate 
themselves,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  he  had  it  in  his  power  to 
do  much  good. 

Perhaps  it  was  unfortunate  that  Gordon  was  an  orator, 
possessed  with  the  power  to  mould  and  sway  his  black 
hearers  even  more  than  he  realized  ;  for  when  he  felt  called 
upon  to  attend  their  nightly  gatherings  for  worship,  and 
exhort  them  to  stand  firm  for  their  rights  against  the 
oppression  of  the  whites,  his  language  was  so  fervent  and 
so  full  of  oratorical  flourishes,  which  he  only  meant  as  such, 
but  which  they  took  as  advice  to  them  to  engage  in  actual 
uprisings  to  arms  and  bloodshed,  that  they  were  beyond 
his  control  in  a  little  while.     Finally  there  came  a  day 


In  the  Home  of  Homer  us  237 

when  certain  of  their  local  leaders  had  been  arrested,  as 
they  believed  unjustly,  and  the  inland  hill  people  came 
pouring  into  the  town  to  demand  their  release  and  certain 
reforms,  of  the  parish  Council,  which  was  then  sitting  at 
the  Morant  Bay  Court  House. 

Long  before  they  had  reached  the  town,  joined  on  every 
hand  by  those  living  along  the  way  and  on  the  scores  of 
by-ways,  the  noise  of  their  coming  could  be  heard,  the 
hoarse  voices  of  the  men  and  the  shrill  cries  of  the  women, 
—  for  the  women  outnumbered  the  men  on  that  day  and 
far  surpassed  them  in  courage  and  fiendish  revenge,  —  and 
above  all  their  watch  word  "  Color  for  color ;  blood  for 
blood  !  "  called  by  a  thousand  ebony  throats.  White 
planters  on  the  roads  had  taken  to  horse  and  preceded 
them  to  the  town  to  bear  the  news  of  their  coming,  and  to 
seek  the  protection  of  the  Council  and  its  soldiery.  They 
might  quite  as  well  have  stayed  near  their  homes  and 
depended  on  hiding  in  the  bush  or  in  caves ;  it  was  only 
the  few  whites  who  did  so  who  lived  to  tell  their  side 
of  the  story.  Their  coming  only  served  to  inflame  and 
upset  the  judgment  of  the  parish  officers,  who  at  once 
called  out  the  handful  of  militia  stationed  there  and  barri- 
caded the  steps  and  doors  of  the  town  hall. 

Having  thus  shut  themselves  up  in  a  coop,  they  seem  to 
have  not  had  sense  enough  to  deny  themselves  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  banquet  ordered  at  the  public  expense ;  but 
when  the  mob,  now  numbering  its  thousands,  reached  the 
hall,  they  were  found  too  busy  with  the  delicacies  of  the 
season  to  give  immediate  attention  to  the  grievances  of 
such  a  noisy  throng.     Even  then,  had  the  Custos,  or  gov- 


238  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

ernor  of  the  parish,  Baron  Ketelholdt,  been  a  man  of  true 
courage,  he  might  have  averted  the  terrible  result  of  his 
cowardly  policy  of  reading  the  riot  act  from  an  upper  win- 
dow, and  calling  upon  the  crowds  to  disperse  without  giv- 
ing audience  to  any  of  its  representatives.  These  acts 
were  fresh  fuel  to  the  flame  of  their  hatred  of  what  they 
considered  white  oppression  and  tyranny,  and  when  in  a 
rash  moment  the  Baron  signalled  the  militia  to  fire  upon 
the  surging  mass  of  blacks,  he  sealed  his  own  doom  and 
that  of  all  around  him.. 

In  those  days  before  the  use  of  repeating  rifles,  that 
volley  was  simply  the  signal  for  the  multitude  to  rush  in 
upon  the  soldiers,  with  their  discharged  guns,  and  hack 
them  to  pieces  with  cutlasses  and  pruning-hooks,  or  batter 
them  into  shapeless  masses  with  clubs  and  axe-helves. 
While  one  small  portion  of  the  mob  was  thus  engaged, 
another  set  fire  to  the  town  hall,  in  which  was  caged  every 
white  man  in  the  place,  while  a  still  larger  portion  set  out 
through  the  town,  bent  on  burning  or  looting  every  bit 
of  property  belonging  to  a  white,  and  killing  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  of  that  color  encountered.  Roasted  out 
of  the  pen  of  their  own  choosing,  the  Custos  and  his  fol- 
lowers simply  escaped  from  the  wrath  of  the  flames  to  the 
worse  torments  of  the  furies  below. 

Then  was  awakened  all  the  slumbering  ferocity  of  the 
savage  African  ancestry.  Not  content  with  wreaking 
vengeance  on  those  who  were  the  immediate  cause  of  their 
troubles,  the  blacks  spread  throughout  the  whole  parish, 
and  for  several  days  scoured  the  country  in  search  of  every 
white  person,  or  of  any  mulatto  who  was  suspected   of 


In  the  Home  of  Homerus  239 

secret  sympathy  with  the  whites.  Killing  and  burning, 
pillaging  and  wanton  destruction,  ruled  for  several  days, 
until  the  frightened  authorities  at  Kingston  had  sufficiently 
gathered  their  wits  together  to  send  troops  and  marines 
to  the  rescue  of  this  wretched  neighborhood.  But  even 
then  the  bloodshed  and  inexcusable  murder  were  far  from 
arrested ;  for  the  tables  were  simply  turned,  and  the 
troops  only  reproduced  the  atrocities  of  the  blacks  by  vis- 
iting their  vengeance  on  hundreds  of  unoffending,  igno- 
rant people. 

Gordon  was  sent  for  and  brought  to  Morant  Bay  from 
Kingston  in  irons,  hastily  tried  by  a  court-martial,  with- 
out the  due  formalities  of  law,  given  no  chance  to  prove 
his  innocence  of  inciting  riots  by  which  he  was  one  of  the 
greatest  sufferers,  found  guilty,  and  hung  where  his  body 
could  be  seen  for  several  days  by  his  one-time  followers, 
and  then  cut  down  to  be  buried  in  a  compost  heap,  it  is 
said.  Such  were  the  "Gordon  Riots,"  as  they  have  been 
unjustly  called.  It  is  small  wonder  that  dark  and  savage 
looks  on  black  faces  and  but  few  whites  to  be  seen  any- 
where have  long  been  the  characteristics  of  the  parish. 
But  all  that  is  now  changed.  Where  once  there  were  half- 
starved  blacks  there  are  now  an  abundance  of  thrifty 
growers  of  fruit,  and  the  black  man  who  cannot  now  live 
in  a  manner  very  comfortable  to  him,  and  have  a  little  sav- 
ings account  as  well,  has  no  one  but  himself  to  blame.  For 
the  banana,  cacao,  cocoanut,  and  nutmeg  crops  have 
sprung  up  into  such  activity  that  the  small  planter  is 
now  quite  independent  of  the  uncertainties  of  the  large 
sugar  and  rum  estates. 


240  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

While  these  interesting  scraps  of  history  were  being 
told  them  with  a  wealth  of  illustration  in  the  very  localities 
where  so  many  of  the  occurrences  took  place,  the  boys 
had  been  bowling  along  over  a  hard,  macadamized  road 
through  a  country  crowded  with  vegetable  luxuriance  and 
variety.  The  road  in  most  places  was  embowered  in  the 
dense  growths  of  bamboo,  silk-cotton,  and  mango  trees, 
and,  as  the  fast-falling  twilight  came  on,  their  way  became 
more  and  more  lost  in  the  shadows.  While  Richard  drove 
on  at  as  rapid  a  gait  as  ever,  secure  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  always  excellent  condition  of  the  road,  the  boys  showed 
increasing  signs  of  nervousness,  now  and  then  glancing 
from  side  to  side  as  they  passed  through  some  specially 
dark  spot,  until  the  Doctor  remarked  with  a  laugh, 

"  You  young  men  need  have  no  fears,  I  can  assure  you. 
The  days  of  1865  are  only  shadowy  memories  now,  and 
there  is  no  place  on  the  earth  where  I  could  possibly  feel 
more  secure  in  spending  my  days  than  here  about  Bath. 
Isn't  it  a  very  peaceful  place  now,  Richard  ?  " 

"  'Deed  it  is,  Mastah  Doctor  !  "  replied  their  usually  taci- 
turn driver.  "  Day  ain't  no  needs  o'  fear  roun'  dis  part  o' 
de  Ian'  now-days.  Mens  is  too  hard  a' wok  makin'  money 
in  de  b'nana  walks  fer  to  tink  o'  de  bad  times  o'  ole 
Gordon." 

There  was  hardly  need  for  this  speech,  a  rather  exten- 
sive one  for  Richard,  for  it  was  barely  finished  before  they 
had  forded  the  Plantain  Garden  River  and,  driving  up  the 
long  single  street  of  Bath,  had  pulled  up  before  the  cheer- 
ful-looking house  of  Mistress  Duffy,  the  landlady  of  the 
town.     The  Doctor  was  soon  recognized  ;  and  the  greetings 


In  the  Home  of  Homerus  241 


were  pleasant, — for  Bath  had  once  been  his  headquarters 
on  a  collecting  tour,  —  and  in  a  little  while  they  were 
ushered  into  a  dining-room  where  the  table  was  crowded 
with  all  the  good  things  of  the  neighborhood. 

Realizing  that  their  time  was  very  limited,  and  that 
on  their  return  to  the  island  they  would  have  more  time 
for  general  collecting,  Ned  and  Harry  decided  to  make 
the  old  Botanical  Garden,  a  rich  treasure  house  of 
rare  trees  and  plants,  the  Baths  of  Saint  Thomas  the 
Apostle  up  the  valley  of  the  Sulphur  River,  and  the 
hunting  for  Papilio  Homerus,  one  of  the  world's  rarest 
butterflies,  the  three  important  items  of  this  visit.  In 
the  Botanical  Garden,  now  no  longer  under  cultivation, 
other  than  keeping  out  weeds  and  the  wild  undergrowth, 
they  found  many  plants  and  trees  new  to  them.  The 
camphor  tree,  several  rare  palms,  the  cork  tree,  rattans, 
the  India  rubber  tree,  and  many  small  curiosities  were 
among  the  number  shown  to  them,  and  from  each  they 
were  allowed  to  make  generous  collections  for  their 
herbarium. 

All  the  botanical  treasures  of  the  region  were  not  in 
this  garden,  however;  for  the  grounds  of  a  former  botanist 
in  charge  of  the  garden,  now  dead,  were  inspected  by 
them  under  the  guidance  of  his  widowed  daughter,  who 
added  to  her  father's  love  for  plants  the  entomologist's 
zeal,  and  exhibited  to  them  some  of  her  rarer  captures, 
among  which  were  many  things  that  made  the  boys' 
eager  eyes  dance  with  delight  at  the  thought  that  they 
too  might  add  the  same  to  their  trophies.  Various  kinds 
of  fibre  plants  were  here  growing,  and  nutmegs,  jack-fruit, 


242  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

Otaheite  pears,  and  cacao,  or  chocolate-berry,  were  among 
the  things  newest  to  their  inspection. 

"  Doctor,  we  always  say  '  cocoa '  in  the  north,  but  you 
and  all  these  people  where  it  grows  say  '  cacao,'  I  notice. 
How  is  that  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  There  are  four  very  distinct  vegetable  growths  that 
have  names  so  much  alike  that  they  are  constantly  mixed 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  are  not  botanists  or  do  not  know 
them  in  nature,"  the  Doctor  began.  "These  are:  Cacao 
berries,  Coca  leaves,  Coco  roots,  and  Cocoa  nuts.  Much 
as  these  names  resemble  each  other,  they  represent  four 
families  in  the  plant  world  as  dissimilar  as  are  apples, 
huckleberries,  lilies,  and  pine  trees.  Yet  it  is  the  fact 
that  very  many,  perhaps  most  people,  in  northern  countries 
believe  them  all  to  be  derived  from  one  growth,  the  cocoa- 
nut  palm,  and  even  our  leading  dictionaries  get  them  badly 
mixed. 

"  Cacao,  or  chocolate  berries,  grow  on  this  short  tree, 
not  unlike  a  big  lilac  bush,  to  which  Linneus  gave  the 
very  appropriate  name,  TJieobroma  cacao,  the  first  part  of 
it  meaning  'food  for  the  gods,'  and  the  latter  being 
derived  from  the  Mexican  or  Aztec  'cacauatl,'  their  word 
for  chocolate.  The  word  should  be  pronounced  as  though 
spelled  kah-cow\  with  the  accent  on  the  last  syllable. 
From  this  tree  we  get  the  chocolate,  cocoa,  broma,  cocoa- 
butter  and  cocoa-shells  sold  in  the  north. 

"  Coca  leaves  grow  on  an  Andean  bush  much  like  our 
mountain  huckleberries,  and  called  Erythi'oxolon  coca,  and 
are  largely  used  by  the  Inca  natives  to  stimulate  and 
strengthen  them  for  feats   of  endurance.     A  few  of  the 


In  the  Home  of  Homeric s  243 

dried  leaves  will,  as  I  have  myself  found,  enable  one  to 
walk  all  day  over  the  tedious  mountain  trails,  covering 
perhaps  thirty  or  more  miles  without  a  morsel  of  other 
food.  From  them  is  made  the  wine  of  coca,  now  so 
common  in  northern  drug  stores ;  and  '  moxie,'  a  stimulat- 
ing drink,  named  after  a  naval  lieutenant,  is  also  derived 
from  it.  Cocaine,  now  much  used  in  surgery  to  deaden 
pain,  is  also  a  product  of  this  useful  plant.  The  word 
is  to  be  pronounced  hoh-kah' ,  with  the  accent  on  the  last 
syllable. 

"  Coco,  pronounced  koh-koh,  with  the  accent  equal 
on  each  syllable,  is  a  name  representing  several  eatable 
roots  of  certain  lily-like  plants,  that  are  useful  in  supply- 
ing tubers  where  potatoes  and  mandioca  roots  are  not  to 
be  had.  They  are  not  sent  to  the  north,  but  are  grown 
somewhat  in  the  hills  of  this  island. 

"  Cocoanuts  are  the  best  known  in  their  natural  state 
of  any  of  the  four  families  of  plants  we  have  been  discuss- 
ing. As  you  already  well  know,  they  are  the  product 
of  the  palm  tree  which  has  so  often  yielded  us  the  delights 
of  its  luscious  nuts  and  of  the  great  value  of  which  to  all 
tropic-dwelling  natives  we  have  already  talked.  The  tree 
is  named  Cocos  nncifera,  and  the  word  cocoa  should  be 
pronounced  koh'-kwah,  with  the  accent  on  the  first  syl- 
lable." 

While  the  boys  were  at  lunch  that  day,  discussing  a  trip 
up  the  Sulphur  River  for  the  afternoon,  Ned  suddenly 
sprang  from  the  table  with  a  bound,  exclaiming, 

"  Oh !  what  a  beauty !  Doctor,  Doctor !  what  is  that 
magnificent  creature  ? "    meanwhile    pointing   out    of   the 


244  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

window  to  a  nearby  rosebush  in  full  bloom,  over  which 
was  hovering  by  far  the  most  superb  butterfly  they  had 
yet  seen.  Lazily  flitting  from  rose  to  rose,  its  nearly 
seven  inches  of  broad,  velvety  black  expanse,  banded  with 
a  great  golden  dash  across  both  wings,  with  golden  fring- 
ings  and  blue  and  purple  eyelike  spots  on  the  hind  wings, 
it  presented  in  the  glistening  sunlight  an  appearance  that 
was  never  to  be  forgotten.  Usually  the  Doctor  was  an 
interested  but  entirely  calm  observer  of  their  very  natural 
enthusiasm,  but  in  this  instance  their  zeal  was  infectious  ; 
for  he  rushed  into  the  adjoining  room  and  out  of  the  house, 
with  his  net  in  his  hand,  calling :  — 

"A  Homerus !  A  Homems  !  One  like  that  is  worth 
fifty  dollars  ;  besides  being  a  great  credit  to  the  one  who 
can  capture  it." 

Quickly  the  boys  followed,  and  as  Mistress  Duffy,  with 
a  smile,  put  away  the  eatables  that  they  had  so  suddenly 
forgotten,  knowing  well  that  that  was  the  last  she  would 
see  of  them  for  some  time,  she  wisely  shook  her  head  and 
muttered  something  about  the  boys  being  just  as  crazy  as 
the  Doctor. 

It  is  one  thing  to  see  a  Homerus  hovering  over  flower- 
laden  bushes,  and  quite  another  to  capture  it ;  for  they  are 
as  shy  of  man  and  as  powerful  of  wings  as  most  birds. 
So  the  boys  found  it  in  this  case ;  for  no  sooner  had  they 
reached  the  garden  than  the  glorious  creature  rapidly 
sailed  away  over  the  tree-tops  in  a  direction  that  the 
Doctor  said  would  soon  bring  it  to  the  Sulphur  River 
valley,  towards  which  they  at  once  started  on  a  rapid 
walk  by  a  roundabout,  but  good  road.     In  their  eagerness 


In  the  Home  of  Homertis  245 

to  overtake  the  coveted  prize,  the  boys  did  not  take  note 
that  they  were  walking  along  a  beautiful,  shaded  valley 
with  high-growing  hills  on  both  sides,  along  a  good  car- 
riage-road, with  every  now  and  again  a  shed  across  the 
roadway,  under  which  to  drive  in  case  of  a  tropical  down- 
pour of  rain  ;  but  all  their  eagerness  availed  them  nothing, 
and  they  had  reached  the  bath-house  before  they  gave  up 
all  hope  of  again  seeing  it. 

The  bath-house  they  found  to  be  a  neatly  built  and  well- 
kept,  two-story  building,  with  five  private  bathrooms,  for 
the  use  of  which  a  shilling  was  charged.  Each  of  these 
rooms  had  a  concrete  tank  in  the  floor,  about  three  feet 
deep  and  wide  and  seven  feet  long,  with  arrangement  for 
turning  streams  of  cold  or  hot  sulphur  water  from  springs 
further  up  the  stream  into  it.  By  this  means  a  bath  vary- 
ing from  70  to  125  degrees  in  temperature  could  be  taken, 
and  the  water  could  be  gradually  changed  while  the  bath 
was  being  enjoyed.  The  waters  were  known  to  be  very 
beneficial  for  rheumatism,  gout,  and  certain  skin  diseases, 
and  the  old  man  and  his  wife  who  took  care  of  the  place 
were  full  of  accounts  of  the  good  it  had  done  for  many 
patients,  many  of  whom  had  come  there  and  lived  in  the 
rooms  above  the  baths,  and  of  legends  regarding  the 
early  history  of  the  baths.  The  account  of  how  they  had 
been  first  discovered,  although  probably  nothing  but 
legend,  so  interested  the  boys  that  Ned  wrote  it  in  his 
notebook  to  use  in  his  next  letter  home. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  English  occupancy  of  the 
island,  perhaps  two  hundred  years  ago,  a  slave  had  escaped 
from  one  of  the  lowland   plantations  near  the  coast  and 


246  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

found  a  secure  hiding-place  in  the  mountains.  The  poor 
fellow  was  much  troubled  with,  the  yaws,  a  sort  of  leprous 
skin  disease,  and  in  fact  was  so  far  gone  with  the  disorder 
that  his  master  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  chase  him 
and  recapture  him.  Some  year  or  more  after  this  another 
planter  lost  a  slave  in  these  mountains,  and  on  returning 
from  a  trip  during  which  the  runaway  was  captured,  he 
told  the  other  that  he  had  seen  but  failed  to  capture  the 
first  runaway,  who  had  grown  to  be,  strange  to  relate,  a 
fine,  healthy  man  again.  Of  course  healthy  slaves  were 
too  valuable  to  lose  in  this  way,  and  the  owner  set  after 
him,  and  in  time  succeeded  in  capturing  him,  when  he  was 
found  to  be  thoroughly  cured  of  the  yaws  and  in  perfect 
health. 

When  pressed  for  an  explanation  of  his  remarkable 
recovery  from  a  disease,  then  believed  to  be  incurable,  he 
remained  silent  or  would  only  give  misleading  replies. 
The  owner  had  a  much-loved  daughter  who  had  an  equally 
incurable  and  terrible  trouble  of  the  same  nature,  and  in 
his  desire  to  have  her  share  the  benefits  of  such  a  miracu- 
lous cure,  he  finally  offered  freedom  to  the  slave  if  he 
would  disclose  the  source  of  his  recovery.  When  the 
effect  of  the  healing  waters  that  poured  into  the  Sulphur 
River  from  a  number  of  springs  was  explained  to  him,  he 
was  not  long  in  arranging  to  have  a  cottage  erected  there, 
to  be  under  the  charge  of  his  freed  slave,  in  which  his 
daughter  and  her  attendants  could  live ;  and  she  in  time 
became  the  first  white  of  a  long  line  of  sufferers  who  have 
learned  to  bless  the  waters  of  the  Baths  of  Saint  Thomas 
the  Apostle. 


T 


CHAPTER   XVI 

A    MIDNIGHT    HORROR 

Hunting  Hmenu-  Loathsome  Bait  -  A  Profitable  Day -Cuna  Cuna  Pass 
-Ideal  Roads -The  Maroons -A  Barbarous  Execution  -  A  Deserting 
Guide -Blood-curdling  Sounds -A  Lost  Burro -The  Valley  of  the 
Rio  Grande  —  Wholesale  Fruit  Culture 

HE  remainder  of  the  time  at  Bath  was  spent  in  the 
endeavor,  by  various  devices,  to  induce  a  few  of  the 
specimens  of  Papilio  Homerus,  which  every  now  and  then 
they  saw  sailing  idly  over  head,  to  come  within  reach  of 
their   nets.     Cocoanut   palms  and  other  trees  that  were 
laden  with  sweet-scented  flowers  from  climbing  vines  were 
ascended,   and    in  two  of   the   most    promising   localities 
platforms,   such  as  they  had   made   h     Haiti,  were  con- 
structed in  tall  trees,  but  beyond  three  rather  imperfect 
specimens  they  had  nothing  to  show  for  such  toilsome 
methods.      Another   plan,   however,    proved    much    more 
effective      On  their   first   day  at   Bath   the   Doctor   had 
brought  a  salt  codfish,  and  after  shredding  it  apart,  had 
placed  it  on  a  board  in  the  sun  to  spoil,  covering  it  with 
a  piece  of  wire  screen  so  that  the  buzzards  would  not 
touch  it,  and  placing  it  near  enough  to  a  chained  watch 
dog  to  prevent  ground  animals  from  getting  at  it.     Three 
days  afterwards,  when  this  fish  was  getting  "  pretty  rank, 
as  Ned  termed  it,  the  Doctor  boiled  it  in  about  five  gallons 
of  water  until  the  result  was  a  thickish,  ill-smelhng  fluid. 

247 


248  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

This  mess  they  carried  up  the  Sulphur  River  to  a  point 
some  distance  above  the  baths,  where  the  stream  widened 
out  and  a  bridle  path  crossed  it.  There  on  several  flat 
stones,  slightly  hollowed  out  on  top,  they  poured  the  liquid 
in  the  bright  sunlight,  as  well  as  on  two  open  spaces  in 
the  road.  This  they  did  early  in  the  morning,  returning 
to  take  a  bath  at  the  springs  and  then  to  their  boarding- 
house  for  lunch.  After  lunch  they  returned  to  the  bait, 
hardly  believing  that  so  repulsive  a  broth  could  attract 
such  gorgeous  creatures  as  the  regal  Homerus,  although 
the  Doctor  reminded  them  of  how  often  they  had  caught 
choice  specimens  at  home  around  filthy  mud  puddles 
or  near  the  stable  yard.  As  they  advanced  cautiously 
from  out  of  the  shade  into  the  open  space  where  were 
the  baited  stones,  the  boys'  hearts  almost  stood  still  at  see- 
ing three  apparently  perfect  specimens  of  this  most  coveted 
prize  quietly  sipping  away  in  the  centre  of  a  group  of 
at  least  fifty  other  butterflies  of  perhaps  a  dozen  different 
species. 

"  Gently,  gently  !  "  the  Doctor  cautioned.  "  Homerus 
will  not  take  fright  quickly,  but  some  of  those  little  blue 
beauties  on  the  outside  of  the  group  will,  and  the  moment 
they  begin  to  fly  up  the  whole  group  will  take  fright,  and 
instantly  Homerus  will  be  far  over  the  tree-tops.  Let 
us  come  up  slowly  and  equally  from  each  side ;  then  the 
moment  they  begin  to  rise,  Ned  must  bring  his  net  down 
over  the  group  so  as  to  catch  all  three,  if  possible,  while 
Harry  and  I  will  try  to  capture  what  escape  him,  on  the 
wing." 

This  plan,  well  laid  as  it  seemed,  resulted  in  the  cap- 


A   Midnight  Horror  249 


ture  of  only  one    specimen,   however;   for   the   two    that 
escaped  Ned's  net  were  too  quick  for  his  reinforcements, 
as  well.     But  the  one  taken  was  so  superb  a  creature  and 
the  other  specimens  captured  in  the  frantic  efforts  to  let 
nothing  escape  were  some  of  them  such  valuable  additions 
to  their  collections,  that  the  day  would  have  then  been 
voted  a  very  productive  one,  without  even  greater  success 
at  another  of  the  rocks  and  still  better  fortune  in  the  road, 
where  five  of  the  Homerus  species,  three  of  which  they 
captured,  awaited  them.      This  was  indeed  a  wonderful 
afternoon's  exploit;    and  the  Doctor  cautioned  the  boys 
against  taking    it   as    a   sample   of   what   was   ordinarily 
possible.      They  had    simply  been  fortunate  in   reaching 
Bath  at  the  height  of  the  Homerus  season,  and  in  a  very 
good  season  at  that.      The  number  they  would  take  away 
perhaps  equalled  all  that  had  ever  been  taken  in  one  year 
before.     He  had  spent  weeks  there  before,  and  had  not 

even  seen  so  many. 

"Is  Homerus  found  in  many  other  countries,  Doctor? 
Harry  asked,   as   they  walked   home.     «  Is    it   found    all 

over  this  island  ? " 

"No  to  both  of  those  questions,"  was  the  reply.  "It 
has  been  seen  in  Haiti  by  one  collector,  but  otherwise  it  is 
unknown  outside  of  Jamaica,  so  far  as  known  to  natural- 
ists  Nor  has  it  often  been  seen  far  away  from  this  part 
of  the  island.  In  fact,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  belongs 
naturally  in  or  near  the  valley  of  the  Sulphur  River,  and 
in  the  mountains  around  or  above  it.  What  this  is  due  to, 
no  one  has  yet  attempted  to  explain.  It  would  seem  that  so 
large  a  species  and  one  so  powerful  on  the  wing  ought  to  be 


250  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

wide-spread  throughout  this  island  at  least,  even  if  it  did  not 
also  indulge  in  migrations  from  one  island  to  another ;  but 
such  is  not  the  case,  for  it  is  one  of  the  most  geographi- 
cally narrow  species  in  its  distribution  known  to  science." 

A  day  or  two  after  this  great  triumph  over  the  difficul- 
ties incident  to  capturing  Homerns  saw  the  boys  by  day- 
break already  some  distance  on  their  way  towards  crossing 
the  Blue  Mountains  at  Cuna  Cuna  Pass,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  gaps  in  the  great  range  which  divides  the  island 
lengthwise  into  two  nearly  equal  halves.  To  make  this 
trip  it  was  necessary  to  resort  again  to  travel  in  the  saddle, 
as  they  had  done  in  Haiti,  and  to  send  their  large  baggage 
around  by  the  stage  road  to  Port  Antonio,  their  destination, 
and  the  point  from  which  they  were  soon  to  start  for  their 
northern  home. 

The  climb  up  and  over  these  mountains  served  more 
than  ever  to  impress  the  boys  with  the  vast  difference  that 
exists  between  witchcraft-cursed  Haiti  and  freedom-blessed 
Jamaica.  Where,  in  Haiti,  the  mountain  views  looked  out 
only  on  wildernesses  and  desolation,  although  the  fertility 
and  climate  were  unexcelled,  in  Jamaica  every  view  added 
new  charms  to  the  scene,  and  these  charms  were  greatly 
added  to  by  the  varied  views  of  cultivation ;  bananas  here 
and  cane-fields  there,  cocoanut  groves  on  one  hand  and 
cacao  or  coffee  on  the  other.  Even  the  road  they  trav- 
elled, although  it  crossed  steep  mountains  over  a  winding 
route,  spoke  for  the  excellence  of  the  way  affairs  are 
administered  under  Her  Majesty's  Government,  even  in 
such  small  items  as  the  mountain  bridle  paths  in  one  of 
the  smaller  colonies. 


A  Midnight  Horror  251 

"  Why  is  it  that  down  here,  in  a  blackman's  country, 
they  can  have  so  much  better  country  roads  than  we  do  in 
the  United  States  ? "  Ned  asked,  as  they  were  starting 
down  the  northern  slope  of  the  mountains. 

"  Simply  because  it  appears  to  have  been  reserved  for 
us  at  home  to  imagine  that  politics  had  anything  to  do 
with  such  primary  necessities  as  good  roads,  good  streets, 
good  water,  and  good  health.  We  have  away  in  the  States 
of  considering  a  man's  politics  first  and  his  fitness  for  his 
work  last,  even  in  such  minor  places  as  that  of  road  com- 
missioner ;  therefore  the  man  elected  thinks  far  more  of 
working  to  keep  the  political  party  that  gave  him  his  job 
in  good  order  than  he  does  of  giving  his  attention  to  keep- 
ing the  roads  in  good  order.  Here  they  know  nothing  of 
politics  in  that  sense,  and  a  road  boss  is  judged  simply  by 
the  sort  of  roads  he  maintains.  The  great  difference  be- ' 
tween  the  systems  is  that  ours  gives  us  mud-puddles  and 
deep  ruts  in  place  of  the  hard,  even  surfaces  we  find  here, 
although  we  have  nothing  like  the  enormous  rainfall  to 
contend  with  that  they  have  here." 

Having  found  a  good  camping-spot  early  in  the  after- 
noon, the  mules  were  unloaded  and  tethered,  and  the  rest 
of  the  day  was  given  to  collecting.  While  this  was  going 
on,  the  Doctor  explained  to  the  boys  that  they  were  now 
in  Maroon  territory,  or  a  land  commonly  claimed  by  the 
mountain  Maroons.  To  Harry's  query  as  to  who  and  what 
the  Maroons  were,  he  replied  that  the  name  was  derived 
from  the  Spanish  word  cimarron,  a  wild  man,  and  was 
originally  applied  in  Columbus's  time  to  those  Indians  who 
had  been  enslaved,  but  had  escaped  to  the  mountains  or 


252  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

wildernesses  and  had  successfully  defended  themselves 
against  recapture.  When  the  Indian  slaves  were  nearly- 
all  killed  off  by  Spanish  cruelty,  and  Africans  were  intro- 
duced in  their  places,  these  in  many  cases  also  escaped  and 
joined  the  small  Indian  settlements  in  the  wild  regions, 
and  in  this  way  there  grew  up  here  and  there,  scattered 
throughout  the  West  Indies,  wherever  the  difficulty  of 
access  made  it  hard  for  the  whites  to  penetrate,  small  com- 
munities of  half-savages.  In  Jamaica  these  thrived  in  the 
genial  mountain  climate  and  rapidly  grew  to  be  a  numerous 
and  formidable  people. 

From  time  to  time,  for  over  two  hundred  years,  the 
white  planters  in  the  lowlands  organized  expeditions  to  re- 
capture and  enslave  these  people,  who  from  time  to  time 
retaliated,  making  sudden  forays  into  the  lowlands,  when 
there  was  much  bloodshed  and  pillaging,  and  many  other 
slaves  were  forcibly  liberated  to  join  them.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century  this  warfare  was  almost  constant, 
lasting  for  nearly  forty  years,  and  it  was  not  until  many 
concessions,  such  as  the  grants  of  land  and  the  recogni- 
tion of  their  rights  as  free  men  had  been  made  them,  that 
the  Maroons  agreed  to  a  peace  based  on  a  regular  treaty 
made  between  them  and  Governor  Trelawney.  During  the 
time  before  the  treaty  these  valleys  and  mountain  sides 
were  the  scenes  of  many  fearful  conflicts  between  the 
white  troops  and  the  Maroons  under  the  leadership  of  a 
chief  named  Nanny.  This  man  was  a  fearless  and  able 
leader,  and  tradition  has  it  that  only  through  the  treachery 
of  one  of  his  people  was  it  possible  for  the  troops  to  gain 
access  to  his  stronghold  on  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the 


A   Midnight  Horror  253 

Stony  river.  Here  when  they  were  surrounded  by  superior 
numbers  and  overpowered  by  superior  arms,  these  brave 
strugglers  after  freedom  preferred  to  cast  themselves  over 
the  bluffs,  choosing  sudden  death  on  the  rocks  beneath 
rather  than  the  slow  torture  of  slavery. 

Nanny,  however,  the  tradition  states,  was  wounded  early 
in  the  battle  and  in  that  condition  was  loaded  with  chains 
and  hung  from  the  top  of  the  bluff  in  plain  sight  for  miles 
around  as  a  warning  to  the  poor  blacks  who  dared  to  fight 
for  freedom.  There  he  was  left  to  die  a  slow  death, 
parched  by  the  sun  and  tortured  by  the  buzzards  by  day, 
and  numbed  by  the  mountain  air  and  buffeted  by  the  bats 
by  night.  Legend  has  it  that  slowly  and  little  by  little 
this  terrible  sight  disappeared  until  even  the  last  links  of 
the  chain  had  rusted  away  and  fallen  to  the  ravine  below. 
In  after  years  there  began  to  come  rumors,  from  men  who 
had  been  belated  in  the  bear  chase  on  these  mountains,  of 
terrible  sights  and  sounds,  which  finally  took  the  shape  of 
an  indescribable  form  wandering  along  in  the  moonlight, 
dragging  a  great  length  of  clanking  chain  after  it.  From 
time  to  time  some  one  who  had  ventured  into  these  higher 
hills  failed  to  return,  and  as  these  were  usually  white  men, 
it  became  a  generally  accepted  theory  that  Nanny  in  the 
spirit  walked  again  through  his  old  domain  and  would  not 
brook  the  intrusion  of  any  white  therein.  To-day  there 
are  very  many  of  the  blacks  hereabouts  who  cannot  be  in 
any  way  induced  to  stay  over  night  on  these  mountains, 
and  even  the  most  intelligent  of  them  while  passing  over 
the  mountains  have  a  wonderful  ingenuity  in  finding  good 
excuses  for  passing  the  night  in  the  settled  valleys  below. 


254  Tke  Btttterfly  Hunters 

As  though  specially  to  support  this  last  assertion  on  the 
Doctor's  part,  their  guide  and  muleteer  hunted  them  up 
just  then,  and,  stating  that  he  had  fed  and  cared  for  two 
of  the  mules  and  made  a  good  fire,  asked  to  be  allowed  to 
take  the  other  mule  and  spend  the  night  with  a  brother 
who  lived  about  six  miles  down  the  road.  Winking 
at  the  boys,  the  Doctor  at  first  refused  the  request,  but  as 
the  seriousness  of  his  predicament  finally  drove  the  man 
into  a  network  of  falsehoods,  he  at  last  gave  his  consent, 
a  grant  that  was  taken  advantage  of  so  eagerly  and  so 
immediately  as  to  be  ludicrous.  They  found  a  good  fire 
awaiting  them,  and  it  was  not  long  before  one  of  them  got 
an  appetizing  meal  ready  while  the  others  were  busied  in 
erecting  the  tent  and  fixing  camp  for  the  night. 

Such  days  as  these,  full  of  events  and  of  toil,  make  long 
nights  and  early  bed-going  welcome,  and  the  cool,  crisp 
mountain  air  makes  sleep  an  easy  task.  How  long  they 
had  all  been  asleep  when  Ned  woke  up  to  tuck  his  blanket 
more  closely  around  him  he  did  not  know,  nor  is  it  likely 
he  would  ever  have  cared  to  know  had  he  not,  just  as  he 
was  about  to  doze  off  again,  been  startled  into  the  widest 
kind  of  wakefulness  by  a  most  peculiar  sound,  not  very  far 
off.  He  knew  it  could  not  be  either  of  their  mules  ;  for 
they  had  been  tethered  some  distance  from  them  where 
there  was  an  open  spot  suitable  for  grazing,  too  far  away 
for  him  to  hear  their  movements ;  yet  this  sound  was  very 
near  at  hand.  First  a  swishing  sound  as  of  some  moving 
creature  passing  along  a  clump  of  bushes,  then  a  footfall, 
then  a  painfully  long  period  of  silence  and  suspense,  then 
another  sound,  as  of  a  chain  dragged  along  the  ground. 


A  Midnight  Horror  255 

Perhaps  if  it  had  not  been  for  that  last  sound  Ned  might 
have  fallen  asleep  again,  for  he  was  most  wofully  tired ; 
but  just  then  he  thought  of  that  headless,  shapeless  thing 
which  was  said  to  consider  the  mountain  slopes  his  own 
and  resent  in  deadly  fashion  the  intrusion  of  any  daring 
white  who  thought  to  challenge  his  authority.  Ned  was 
not  a  coward,  nor  did  he  believe  in  anything  ghostly ;  yet 
in  spite  of  all  he  felt  his  blood  running  cold,  and  a  paralyz- 
ing shiver  taking  hold  of  him  as  again  he  heard  those 
sounds,  and  now  much  nearer. 

There  could  be  no  mistaking  them  ;  the  stealthy,  muf- 
fled tread,  the  peculiar  swish  of  the  bushes  pushed  aside, 
a  sighing  sound  as  of  one  near  at  hand  trying  to  stifle 
heavy  breathing,  and  —  far  worse  and  more  suggestive 
than  all — that  clanking  chain.  Then  again  followed  a 
long  period  of  silence  —  harder  to  bear  than  the  fear- 
begetting  sounds.  Just  as  Ned  was  getting  his  pistol  in 
a  position  to  greet  any  sudden  apparition  and  preparing 
to  slip  quietly  from  the  bed  with  the  intention  of  peeping 
out  into  the  open  air,  however  terrible  the  form  or  nature 
of  the  intruder,  every  drop  of  blood  in  his  veins  seemed 
frozen,  every  iota  of  bravery  in  his  heart  was  put  to  flight, 
by  a  succession  of  sounds  that  were  unequalled  in  their 
appalling  volume. 

"  EE-haw,  ee-haw,  ee-haw  ;  yah-yah-yah-yah  !  " 
Startled  beyond  control  of  his  actions,  the  first  unmis- 
takable asinine  bray  was  the  signal  for  the  firing  of  Ned's 
pistol,  a  deafening  sound  that  brought  the  Doctor  and 
Harry  to  their  feet  under  the  impression  that  they  were 
the   victims  of   a  murderous   onslaught  from  the  always 


256  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

peaceful  natives.  Fright  and  consternation,  however,  soon 
had  to  give  way  to  peals  of  laughter  when  Ned  had  ex- 
plained to  his  companions  the  terrible  mental  strain 
through  which  he  had  just  gone  and  the  nature  of  the 
sounds  that  caused  it.  If  the  spirit  of  the  old  Maroon 
chieftain  still  haunts  those  mountains,  he  must  have 
paused  in  outraged  wonder  to  hear  their  shouts  of  merri- 
ment as,  time  after  time,  the  utter  ludicrousness  of  the 
whole  thing  impressed  them  anew. 

But  if  they  had  at  first  been  badly  frightened,  they  had 
not  been  alone  in  that  respect.  Long  after  their  laughter 
had  subsided,  far  down  the  mountain  side,  sounding  quite 
two  miles  away,  came  back,  in  tones  much  mellowed  by 
the  distance,  the  same  refrain,  "Ee-haw,  ee-haw,"  that 
before  had  petrified  Ned  in  horror.  Evidently  the  four- 
footed  intruder,  much  demoralized  by  his  noisy  recep- 
tion, had  been  doing  some  pretty  rapid  travelling  since  he 
had  attempted  to  fill  the  role  of  evil  spirit.  And  the  next 
morning,  as  they  journeyed  down  the  mountains  towards 
Moore  Town,  a  Maroon  village,  they  were  met  by  an  old 
blackman,  who,  after  a  deferential  bow,  remarked, 

"  Mawnin',  buckra,  mawnin',  young  genmen  !  Yo'  yain't 
none  o'  yo'  seen  nuthin'  o'  no  jackass,  is  yo  ?  No  jackass  wiv 
a  chain  a'  hangin'  to  him  ?  Kase,  ef  yo'  has  an'  yo'  has  hearn 
him  blow  him  bugle,  yo'se  boun'  to  know  it.  I'se  los'  a 
Jack  what's  got  a  trumpet  dat'll  out-blow  de  las'  horn! " 

Assured  that  they  had  not  seen  his  property,  but  that 
they  felt  pretty  sure  that  he  had  visited  them  during  the 
night,  the  old  man  trudged  joyfully  upward,  glad  to  know 
that  he  was  on  the  right  track. 


A  Mid j light  Horror  257 

Moore  Town  and  the  occasional  gatherings  of  huts 
along  the  way  to  the  lower  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande 
(Grand  River)  and  their  inhabitants  appeared  so  exactly 
like  other  Jamaican  huts  and  natives  that  the  boys  had 
seen,  that  the  Doctor  had  to  explain  that  the  Maroons  had 
for  so  long  intermarried  with  the  other  negroes  that  it 
was  impossible  to  tell  them  from  the  rest.  If  the  boys 
expected  to  find  them  still  semi-savage,  they  were  doomed 
to  disappointment,  for  there  is  nowhere  in  the  island  a 
more  loyal  and  law-abiding  portion  of  its  people  than  the 
Maroons  are  now.  It  was  largely  due  to  their  aid  that  the 
Gordon  Riots  of  1865  were  so  quickly  overcome;  for 
they  had,  in  accordance  with  their  first  treaty  with  the 
authorities,  always  quickly  responded  to  such  a  call  as 
that. 

As  the  party  reached  the  lower  and  widened  valley  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  now  grown  to  considerable  size  from  the 
additions  of  several  large  streams,  the  country  took  on  a 
much  less  wild  and  uncultivated  aspect,  for  they  were 
entering  upon  one  of  the  choicest  parts  of  the  island  for 
banana  cultivation.  Here  at  Golden  Vale,  they  found 
large  plantations  in  a  most  thriving  condition  belonging  to 
a  northern  corporation,  which  operated  many  large  estates 
in  the  island,  and  ran  a  fleet  of  their  own  steamers  be- 
tween Jamaica  and  Boston,  laden  with  bananas,  cocoanuts, 
oranges,  limes,  pineapples,  and  early  vegetables.  Under 
the  guidance  of  "  Busher "  Davis,  a  jolly  man,  whose 
arduous  duties  of  managing  this  large  estate  seemed  to 
be  mere  pleasure  to  him,  all  the  details  of  banana  culture 
were  explained  to  the  boys.     How  the  plants  were  set  out 


258  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

as  slips  or  rootlets,  for  bananas  have  no  seeds,  and  grew 
to  varying  heights,  from  ten  to  eighteen  feet  and  bore  a 
bunch  of  bananas  in  from  seven  to  ten  months  ;  how 
when  about  a  month  from  being  ripe,  the  bunch  was  cut 
down  and  the  stalk  on  which  it  grew  was  also  cut  down, 
the  broad  leaves  to  be  used  in  wrapping  the  bunches,  and 
the  big,  fleshy  stalk  to  be  left  on  the  ground  as  enrich- 
ment ;  and  how  carefully  the  bunches  were  handled  in 
large,  haywagon-like  carts  and  sent  to  Port  Antonio,  five 
miles  away,  was  all  made  plain  to  them.  There  was  much 
to  see  at  Golden  Vale,  which  with  all  its  dependencies 
contained  3500  acres  of  rich  and  blossoming  land,  but  the 
news  that  a  steamer  was  even  then  loading  at  the  Port,  on 
which  they  could  take  passage  to  Philadelphia,  warned 
them  that  time  was  too  precious  to  be  even  so  pleasantly 
spent. 

The  rest  of  their  way  to  Port  Antonio  was  along  a  gar^ 
den  spot  throughout,  bordered  by  plantations  large  and 
small,  everything  giving  proof  of  a  degree  of  enterprise 
and  thrift  quite  unknown  until  the  banana  cultivation  was 
introduced.  Everywhere  were  jolly,  contented  faces,  and 
everywhere  were  signs  that  more  land  was  being  pressed 
into  the  service  of  the  far-away,  hungry  northland. 

It  was  dark  when  the  boys  arrived  at  Port  Antonio,  and 
as  their  steamer  expected  to  leave  port  as  soon  as  loaded, 
probably  before  daybreak,  they  had  but  little  chance,  to 
see  anything  of  the  town  and  its  four  or  five  thousand 
inhabitants,  for  their  time  was  mainly  taken  up  with  get- 
ting their  belongings  on  board. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

BACK   TO   THE    FROZEN    NORTH 

Deceptive  Clouds  -  A  Comprehensive  View -From  Straw  Hats  to  Ulsters- 
A  Glad  Home-coming- Mr.  Dawson's  Plans -The  Doctor  s  Words  of 
Praise-The  Work  at  the  Academy- A  Prond  Moment- A  Well-earned 
Honor  -  A  Handsome  Balance  -  "  Ho  !  for  the  Spanish  Mam !  - 

WHEN  the  boys  awoke  the  next  morning,  the  churn- 
ing of  the  propeller  and  the  motion  of  the  ship  told 
them  that  they  had  left  Jamaica  during  the  night,  and 
they  hurried  on  deck  to  catch  a  last  glimpse  of  the  beauti- 
ful island      The  varied  labors  of  the  previous  day  had 
made  late  rising  easy,  and  they  found  that  they  had  not 
come  on  deck  one  bit  too  soon,  for  the  hazy  outlines  of 
the   mountains   on   which   they   had    been    camped   only 
twenty-four  hours  before  were  barely  discernible  on  the 
southern  horizon  in  a  faint  streak  that  was  quite  as  much 
like  a  bank  of  clouds  as  a  real  mountain  range. 

"It's  hard  to  tell  the  difference  between  those  Blue 
Mountains  to  the  right,  and  that  bank  of  clouds  to  the 
left,"  said  Harry,  as  they  stood  looking  astern. 

"Yes"  the  Doctor  remarked,  "for  the  very  simple 
reason  that  what  you  call  'the  bank  of  clouds  to  the  left' 
is  in  reality  the  southwestern  spur  of  Haiti,  which  we  bade 
good-bye  to  a  few  days  ago." 

» Is  that  so  ?  Why,  I  had  no  idea  that  we  could  see 
Jamaica  and  Haiti  at  the  same  time,"  said  Harry.     "But, 

259 


260  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

anyhow,  I  was  right  about  it  being  hard  to  tell  mountains 
from  clouds  at  such  a  distance,  for  in  this  other  direction 
there  seem  to  be  the  same  sort  of  ranges,"  he  added,  turn- 
ing towards  the  north. 

" True  enough,"  the  Doctor  said,  laughing,  "and  again 
for  the  very  simple  reason  that  those  are  the  mountains 
that  skirt  the  south  shore  of  the  eastern  end  of  Cuba. 
For,  you  see,  we  now  happen  to  be  just  about  equidistant 
from  each  of  the  islands,  and  each  of  them  has  a  mountain 
range  sufficiently  high  to  be  seen  at  this  distance  when 
the  atmosphere  is  so  beautifully  clear  as  it  is  this  morning. 
You  were  right,  however,  Hal,  in  saying  that  clouds  and 
mountains  appear  precisely  alike  at  a  great  distance,  as 
no  doubt  you  will  observe  as  we  go  up  the  coast  of  the 
United  States,  where  often  there  will  appear  to  be  large 
and  imposing  ranges  where  only  low  sand  dunes  and  low 
swamps  are  found.  There  are  some  old  sailors  who  will 
assure  you  that  they  can  always  tell  'the  loom  of  the  land,' 
as  they  call  it,  from  the  deceptive  appearance  of  clouds, 
but  for  my  part  I  am  very  doubtful  about  their  possessing 
such  skill." 

The  trip  northward  was  an  uneventful  one.  The  frown- 
ing sides  of  Cape  Maisi,  at  the  eastern  point  of  Cuba,  were 
all  that  was  new  to  them ;  the  passage  up  the  Bahamas 
being  through  the  region  where  their  first  tastes  of  tropical 
life  were  derived,  and  the  rest  of  the  voyage  being  out 
of  sight  of  land  until  the  low  shores  of  Delaware  and  New 
Jersey  were  discerned  bordering  the  smoother  waters  of 
the  Delaware  Bay.  The  boys  had  become  better  sailors, 
and  the  sea  was  unusually  smooth,  and  not  one  hour  was 


Back  to  the  Frozen  North  261 

lost  from  the  work  of  assorting  and  arranging  collections, 
putting  the  finishing  touches  on  their  diaries,  and  writing 
a  number  of  letters,  about  the  extra  material  they  would 
have  to  dispose  of,  to  be  mailed  on  landing  to  certain 
museums  and  private  collectors  with  whom  the  Doctor 
was  acquainted.  The  only  unpleasant  or  at  all  striking 
fact  observable  on  the  northward  trip  was  due  to  the  rapid 
fall  in  the  temperature.  The  boys  left  Port  Antonio  in  the 
lightest  of  summer  clothing  and  under  straw  hats;  after 
successive  changes  of  under-  and  over-clothing,  they 
reached  Philadelphia  in  the  heaviest  of  winter  clothes, 
unable  to  get  well  warmed  even  in  their  storm  coats,  to 
find  the  ground  white  with  snow  and  the  river  filled  with 
ice  through  which  a  passage  had  constantly  to  be  cleared 
by  the  powerful  rams  of  the  ice-boats. 

Cold  as  was  the  weather,  it  was  all  forgotten  in  the 
joyous  warmth  of  the  greeting  that  awaited  the  boys 
at  the  wharf.  It  was  almost  Christmas  time,  and  the 
usual  holiday  shopping  had  brought  Mrs.  Dawson  and 
her  daughter  to  the  city,  so  that  it  was  the  entire  family 
—  father,  mother,  and  their  three  children  —  who  eagerly 
talked  very  fast  and  merrily  together,  perhaps  to  hide  the 
least  suspicion  of  moisture  in  the  eyes  and  trembling  of 
the  voices,  so  glad  was  the  reunion.  Nor  was  the  all- 
careful  guardian,  Dr.  Bartlett,  forgotten  in  the  rejoicing; 
for  among  the  first  plans  made  after  he  had  been  cordially 
thanked  by  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dawson  for  his  watchful 
care  of  their  boys,  Mr.  Dawson  made  this  anouncement :  — 

"  We  shall  stay  in  the  city  until  the  day  before  Christ- 
mas, Doctor,  and  Mrs.  Dawson  and  I  shall  expect  you  to 


262  The  Butterfly  Hunters 


be  our  guest  at  the  hotel.  I  have  seen  the  curators  at  the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  they  have  very  kindly 
put  a  room  at  your  disposal,  for  the  unpacking  and  assort- 
ing of  the  material  you  have  brought  back.  There  you 
and  the  boys  can  do  your  work  to  the  best  advantage,  no 
doubt  getting  much  aid  and  many  suggestions  from  the 
professors  of  the  Academy,  and  I  have  decided  to  buy  of 
you  one  set  or  series  of  your  collections,  such  as  the  cura- 
tors may  select,  which  we  will  present  to  the  Academy  in 
the  name  of  the  boys.  You  will,  of  course,  spend  Christ- 
mas with  us,  Doctor,  just  as  one  of  the  family,  and  after 
the  holidays  are  over  you  and  the  boys  can  return  for  a 
while  to  this  city  to  continue  your  arrangements  for  divid- 
ing and  selling  your  duplicate  material." 

"  I  am  very  much  indebted  to  you  and  Mrs.  Dawson  for 
your  kind  invitation,  I  assure  you,"  the  Doctor  replied. 
"  As  I  have,  as  you  know,  nowhere  to  go  among  relatives, 
I  shall  accept  it  with  pleasure  and  gratitude.  The  arrange- 
ments made  by  you  are  most  excellent,  for  the  superior 
library  and  large  collections  of  the  Academy  will  be  most 
helpful  to  us,  and  we  shall  need  all  the  help  we  can  get,  if 
we  are  to  return  to  our  explorations  in  the  West  Indies 
before  February  first,  as  we  hope  to  do." 

"  There  is  only  one  condition,  you  will  remember,  that  I 
made  as  to  your  return,"  said  Mr.  Dawson,  now  addressing 
the  boys  as  well.  "  And  that  is  that  before  I  give  my  con- 
sent to  your  return  you  must  be  able  to  show  me  by  the 
results  of  this  trip,  that  your  second  trip  will  be  self-sup- 
porting. By  this  I  simply  mean  that  I  make  you  boys  a 
present  of  all  your  expenses  on  this  trip,  but  before  I  shall 


Back  to  the  Frozen  North  263 


be  willing  to  advance  you  the  money  for  the  next  one,  I 
shall  want  a  report  from  the  Doctor,  telling  me  that  your 
saleable  material  will  in  time  bring  in  enough  to  enable 
you  to  repay  me  for  the  advance.  Of  course,  I  am  quite 
able  to  send  you  out  as  often  as  you  want  to  go  or  as  often 
as  your  mother  and  I  think  it  best  for  you  to  be  away 
from  us  ;  but  we  both  think  it  will  be  a  good  business 
training,  and  always  a  pleasant  memory  for  you  to  be  able 
to  say  that  these  vacation  expeditions  were  altogether 
self-supporting.  If  that  is  so,  I  now  see  no  reason  why 
the  Doctor  should  not  take  you  back  to  Jamaica  about 
February  first,  and  from  there  take  you  to  the  Central 
American  mainland  for  a  three  months'  trip.  If  after 
that  you  want  to  spend  another  three  or  four  months  in 
northern  South  America,  providing  your  collection  has 
been  a  success,  and  we  are  all  in  perfect  health,  I  see 
no  reason  at  present  why  you  should  not  do  so.  I  have 
just  heard  that  your  school  has  been  closed  permanently, 
and  it  will  not  be  advisable  to  enter  you  now  in  another 
school  until  next  fall's  term.  Besides  that,  I  am  quite 
certain  that  the  sort  of  practical  schooling  that  you  are 
now  getting  under  the  Doctor's  care,  is  the  very  best 
for  you  just  now,  and  a  year  thus  spent  in  the  school  of 
Nature  cannot  help  being  very  beneficial  to  you." 

This  was  a  very  long  speech  for  the  usually  quiet  and 
taciturn  Mr.  Dawson,  more  a  man  of  affairs  than  of  words, 
but  it  was  one  that  filled  the  boys  with  delight,  and  impul- 
sive Hal  eagerly  replied, 

"  Oh  !  then  we  are  sure  to  go  !  Why,  Doctor,  those 
Papilios  that  we  took  in  the  tree-top  at  Laguna  Enriquillo 


264  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

and  the  Papilio  Homents  catch  at  Bath  will  bring  enough 
to  send  us  out  again,  won't  they  ?  " 

"  Well,  perhaps  hardly  that,"  was  the  Doctor's  cautious 
but  smiling  reply  ;  "  they  will  certainly  go  a  great  way 
towards  it,  and  with  the  great  wealth  of  other  butterflies, 
all  the  beetles  and  other  insects,  and  the  birds,  snakes, 
fishes,  and  smaller  alcoholic  collections  we  have  to  unpack, 
I  feel  sure  that  we  shall  not  only  have  the  assurance  of 
funds  for  another  trip,  but  also  quite  a  handsome  little 
balance  to  our  credit. 

"  I  hardly  think,"  the  Doctor  continued,  turning  to  Mr. 
Dawson,  "that  you  realize  how  industrious  these  young 
men  have  been,  and  how  steadily  they  have  adhered  to  the 
one  purpose  of  bringing  back  collections  thoroughly  rep- 
resentative of  the  region  in  which  they  have  been  travel- 
ling. I  feel  quite  safe  in  saying  that  no  expedition  that 
has  visited  those  islands,  composed  of  only  three  collectors 
and  in  the  field  so  short  a  time,  has  done  better.  I  am 
certain  that  after  years  of  experience  as  a  collector,  I  can 
truthfully  say  that  I  have  never  had  such  ardent  and  ener- 
getic assistants  before.  You  will  be  surprised  when  you 
see  the  entire  results  of  our  little  expedition  displayed ; 
you  cannot  yet  form  an  idea  of  how  extensive  it  really  is." 

"  I  imagine  that  I  have  some  idea  of  its  bulk  at  least," 
Mr.  Dawson  said  laughingly  ;  "  for  I  have  had  notification 
from  the  Custom  House  authorities,  that  boxes,  barrels, 
crates,  and  bundles,  weighing  in  all  7650  pounds,  are  wait- 
ing our  orders  at  the  wharves.  Over  three  and  a  half  tons 
of  butterflies  and  bugs,  snakes  and  lizards,  sounds  pretty 
big  to  me  ;  although  I  am  hardly  yet  prepared  to  look 


Back  to  the  Frozen  North  265 


upon  such  things  as  regular  merchandise,  saleable  in  the 
market  like  iron,  or  lumber,  or  cloth  goods.  But  I  hope 
your  impressions  of  their  worth  may  be  found  correct  ; 
this  is  your  trade,  Doctor,  and  when  you  tell  me,  after 
going  over  it  all,  that  the  material  for  sale,  after  keeping 
out  a  full  set  for  the  boys'  museum  at  home,  will  bring  as 
much  as  your  trip  just  finished  has  cost,  I  shall  be  sure 
you  are  right,  and  quite  as  well  pleased  with  the  result  as 
the  boys  themselves." 

The   next  few  days  were   spent  in  getting  the  many 
packages  from  the  wharves  to  the  Academy  and  in  un- 
packing them  and  getting  the  various  sorts  of  collections 
together,   ready  for   the  final  sorting.     After  the  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year's  holidays  were  over,  —  holidays  that 
were  all  the  more  joyous  for  the  boys  because  of  their 
previous  absence  from  home,  —  the  Doctor  and  the  boys 
returned   to   Philadelphia   and    set   to  work   at   the   more 
careful   arrangement  of  their  trophies.     Doctor  Bartlett, 
well  acquainted  with  this  work,  knowing  how  much  time 
was  taken  up  in  attaching  labels  to  each  separate  speci- 
men from  the  smaller  boxes,  on  which  one  label  was  suffi- 
cient while    they   were    all    kept    together   before    being 
arranged  in   different   series,  engaged   a  typewriter  clerk 
to  keep  up  with  this  work.     And  for  the  simple  arranging 
of   the   various    classes    and    order     he   employed  two  of 
the  students  at  the  Academy  to  help  the  boys   in  extra 
hours,  while  in  the  more  difficult  arrangement  and  separa- 
tion  of   one    species    of   a   family  from    another   he   was 
greatly  aided  by  some  of  the  professors,  all  specialists  and 
experts  in  different  fields  of  Nature,  who  were  glad  to  do 


266  The  Butterfly  H? inters 

such  work,  knowing  that  a  choice  series  of  the  collections 
was  to  be  presented  to  their  institution.  Thus  excellent 
progress  was  made. 

As,  day  by  day,  their  trophies  of  the  chase,  their  gath- 
erings of  many  days  and  nights  of  almost  ceaseless  watch- 
fulness, were  spread  out  and  arrayed,  the  boys  grew  more 
and  more  surprised  at  the  bulk  of  the  work  they  had  really 
accomplished.  Doctor  Bartlett  was  the  only  one  who 
from  the  very  first  had  an  accurate  idea  of  just  how  much 
they  had  brought  back  with  them.  As  the  collections 
grew  in  importance  each  day,  and  the  professors  saw  how 
excellently  the  boys  had  done  in  the  field  chosen  by  them, 
it  was  agreed  that  the  Academy  should  give  them  a 
reception,  inviting  all  its  members  and  their  friends  to  be 
present  some  evening  to  inspect  a  display  of  their  collec- 
tions and  to  meet  the  young  collectors.  Of  course,  to 
this  great  event,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dawson,  their  sister,  and 
some  friends  at  home  were  invited,  and  it  was  a  proud 
moment  for  the  two  nervous,  blushing  boys  when  they 
stood  by  the  side  of  the  grave  old  President  of  the  Acad- 
emy and  were  introduced  in  a  few  well-chosen  remarks. 

"This  institution,  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  the  President 
began,  "has  in  time  past  welcomed  to  its  hospitalities 
many  renowned  discoverers  and  explorers.  When  I  men- 
tion such  names  as  Kane,  Peary,  and  Heilprin  of  Arctic 
fame,  Stanley,  Du  Chaillu,  Abbot,  and  Peters  of  African 
renown,  Huxley,  Tindall,  Ball,  Von  Siebold,  and  many 
others  in  the  world  of  research,  it  will  be  appreciated 
how  highly  honored  these  halls  have  been  in  time  past 
by  the  presence  of  men   now  and  then  renowned.     To 


Back  to  the  Frozen  North  267 

night  it  is  my  pleasure  to  introduce  to  you  two  young 
men  who  are  remarkable  among  all  the  long  line  of  hon- 
ored guests  in  being  by  far  the  youngest  of  the  array. 
They  may  be  youthful  Huxleys  or  Von  Siebolds,  their 
philosophical  powers  yet  in  hiding,  but  they  cannot  be 
said  to  have  been  keeping  their  powers  of  endurance  and 
painstaking  observation  of  Nature  and  her  ways  in  hid- 
ing, as  the  very  large  and  complete  display  of  their 
abilities  in  that  respect,  now  about  us  on  every  hand, 
amply  testifies.  It  adds  a  double  zest  to  our  pleasure  in 
inspecting  these  treasures  of  the  Indies  to  learn  that  it 
is  their  generous  intention  to  donate  a  complete  set  of 
them  to  this  institution,  and  it  will,  no  doubt,  afford  all 
an  equal  pleasure  to  know  that  the  Academy  has  decided 
to  confer  upon  them  the  distinction  of  Corresponding 
Membership,  in  return  both  for  their  generosity  and  in 
recognition  of  their  contributions  to  science  in  bringing 
back  for  our  study  a  number  of  forms  of  animal  life 
entirely  new  to  the  naturalists.  I  therefore  have  much 
pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  the  guests  of  the  evening, 
our  youngest  members,  Edward  Randolph  Dawson  and 
Henry  Murray  Dawson." 

This  speech  was  greeted  with  a  buzz  of  applause  and  a 
number  of  cries  of  "  Speech,  speech  !  "  during  which  Xecl 
and  Hal  looked  at  each  other  most  uncomfortably,  ap- 
palled at  the  thought  that  one  of  them  must  make  a  few 
remarks  in  reply  to  the  honor  conferred  upon  them. 
After  a  short  but  rather  awkward  pause,  Xed  advanced 
to  the  edge  of  the  platform  and  said  in  as  steady  a  voice 
as  he  could  command, 


268  The  Butterfly  Hunters 

"  My  brother  and  I  are  very  thankful  for  the  great 
honor  done  us  to-night.  If  we  have  added  rare  things  to 
the  collections  here,  we  are  very  glad  of  it.  At  any  rate, 
the  credit  belongs  more  to  our  friend  and  instructor,  Doc- 
tor Bartlett,  who  knew  just  where  to  take  us  and  told  us 
all  we  know  about  Natural  History  collecting." 

Then  the  Doctor  was  called  on  for  a  speech,  the  Presi- 
dent in  introducing  him  stating  that  he  had  not  been 
honored  by  a  membership  then  because  for  years  he  had 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Academy,  and  the  Doctor 
replying  in  a  few  words  bearing  witness  to  the  eagerness 
and  thoroughness  of  his  young  companions  on  the  expedi- 
tion. All  this  was  very  gratifying  to  the  boys'  parents,  and, 
as  their  father  congratulated  them  afterwards,  he  added, 

"Never  mind  about  the  profits  of  the  trip;  I  guess  after 
to-night  I  can  send  you  on  another  whatever  they  are." 

"Oh,  they  are  assured  now,  as  this  report  shows,"  the 
Doctor  broke  in,  as  he  handed  Mr.  Dawson  a  paper  which 
showed   that   the   profits    of   the    trip   had    amounted   to 

#428.55- 

"  Well,  well,  well ! "  said  Mr.  Dawson,  after  carefully 
reading  and  re-reading  this  statement  of  account.  "  That 
is  so  far  ahead  of  anything  that  I  dreamed  of  that  it  makes 
me  feel  that  I  made  a  mistake  in  not  ^oinsr  into  the  bug 
business  instead  of  iron  manufacture.  Well,  the  sooner 
you  fit  out  and  start  on  your  next  trip,  the  sooner  you  will 
be  rich  men,  I  suppose." 

"  We  cannot  always  expect  to  do  so  well  as  this,"  the 
Doctor  replied.  "Just  now  there  happen  to  be  few  col- 
lectors out,  and  several  of  the  museums  had  cash  on  hand 


Back  to  the  Frozen  North  269 


to  buy  collections  with ;  then,  too,  we  were  fortunate  in 
doing  well  in  so  slightly  explored  a  territory  as  Haiti." 

"  At  any  rate,  you  will  have  a  very  nice  balance  to  draw 
against,  even  if  you  make  a  loss  this  time." 

"  It  seems  to  us,"  said  Ned,  who  had  been  talking  the 
matter  over  with  Harry,  "  that  some  of  this  balance  ought 
to  belong  to  the  Doctor,  who  worked  hardest  of  any ;  I 
think  half  ought  to  be  his." 

"  Well  said,  my  boy,"  Mr.  Dawson  replied.  "  So  it 
ought ! " 

"  No,  I  could  not  agree  to  that,"  said  the  Doctor. 
"  Let  it  all  stand  in  one  sum  now  ;  then,  when  our  part- 
nership is  finally  dissolved,  if  you  think  best,  I  will  agree 
to  take  one-third,  but  no  more." 

"All  right,  that's  agreed  to;  and  it  is  very  fair,"  Mr. 
Dawson  said.  "  And  as  all  of  it  is  now  settled,  I  suppose 
you  will  soon  be  drawing  on  me  for  cash  for  the  next 
expedition." 

"  Yes,  we  hope  to  get  off  in  two  weeks  from  now ;  don't 
we,  boys  ? " 

"Yes,  sir;  and  then:  'Ho!  for  the  Spanish  Main!'" 
said  Harry. 

"  And  '  Hurrah  !  for  the  lands  of  everlasting  spring ! '  " 
sang  Ned. 


Nortoooti  $rras: 

J.  S.  dishing  &  Co.  — Berwick  &  Smith. 

Boston,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


14  DAY  USE 

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LOAN  DEPT. 


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